# Analysis: Product or Commercial? By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-08-23 It is nearly intuitive for analysts to view an analytic report or presentation as a *product*. But what if the analyst is the real organizational product and any given analytic outcome is simply a commercial for the product? This [[Change|change]] in perspective potentially transform how one views analysis and oneself within organizations. Self-as-product is an uncomfortable place to inhabit. Within the social media space, we are increasingly the product, perhaps it is not so different at work as well. When one generates a robust piece of analytic work that is consumed organizationally, one is increasing the value of one’s brand. Chances are good, based on the successful analysis, that those in [[power]] will want more analysis and want that analysis conducted or headed by the person who was just successful. In this way, the analysis functions as a commercial which increases demand for the product. This has a dystopian feel to it. There is at least a glimpse of something positive here. If the analyst is the product and the analysis is a commercial, it creates space for dynamic agency. A report or presentation is static. It is what it is, or what it was. An individual is autonomous and free. The analyst-product is welcomed inside the organization; through a convincing commercial one gains a seat at the table. Once inside, one needs to determine the end towards which one is directing one’s effort. Perhaps the goal is little more than perpetually getting [[validation]] from those within the group. Maybe the goal is incrementally gaining a more prestigious seat around the conference table. More consequentially, the goal could be to inform organizational thinking in such a way that it substantially improves the lives of the most vulnerable and with the least access to those in power. While there is certainly a product that gets generated through the analytic process, it is not the report or presentation, those are commercials. Within organizations, the analyst is the product. Through [[understanding]], this dynamic one can either be constrained or liberated. Following the path of validation and compensation is constraining. One must follow the organization’s path towards these goals. Following the path of making a difference is liberating, as only an authentic individual can motivate organizational [[Action|action]] along the path of real improvement. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Analyst as a Product]] [[Analysis as a Commercial]] [[Authenticity]] [[Agency]]