# Asking More Productive Questions By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-08-25 It has been said that a question well-formed is half answered. In organizations, this might be achieved by examining the dominant behavior rather than the deviant behavior. As an example, let’s say that an organization has two people who are “rebels” out of an organization of 100 people. Examining those two individuals and seeing why they rebel against leadership is common. A more productive approach might be examining why 98 people conform to expectations. 2% of the data will be too idiosyncratic to generalize. 98% of the data might provide generalizable insights. People tend to focus on the anomaly. This is understandable as those observations are outside of expectation and are therefore prone to demanding attention. However, once one’s attention is sparked, one should reflect on how to ask more productive research questions. If one observes disobedience within the organization, which is most likely rare, one might turn the focus to obedience, which is common. The “trick,” if there is one, is to attempt to form one’s questions to the point of sufficient data. Whereas there is always a gap between “this” and “not this,” inferences are often useful. An inference based on a significant amount of data is often more powerful than a conclusion based on only a few data points. Analysts can stack the deck in their favor by considering the data available as they form their research questions. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Rebel]] [[Organization]] [[Behavior]] [[Questions]] [[Answers]] [[Data]]