# Sitting Around Talking By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-04-08 Business meetings might be beneficially reduced to a group of people sitting around talking. Almost always this will result in one of two things. It will either result in doing what the person in charge wants or it will result in doing what the group collectively decided that it wants to do. The first approach is autocratic; the second is democratic. What is interesting for analysts to understand and admit is that such business meetings will go on with or without data or analysis. Whereas organizational decisions might benefit from analytics, the situation is in no way constrained by its absence. People will get together (in person or virtually), discuss what they think about a given situation, tell stories about the past, describe a future beyond this point, make a decision, and move on. Analysis is central for analysts. It does not have to be central for organizations. For it to gain that position of prominence within organizations, one must explain and demonstrate its benefit. This is especially challenging because not every analyst can persuade. Analysis is designed to inform. Analysis transforms assumptions and speculations into knowledge. Without analysis, business meetings are simply a bunch of people sitting around talking. With analysis, business meetings become sites of learning and exploration. Only one of these approaches offers a structural way to improve the status quo. #### Related Items [[Thinking]] [[Meetings]] [[Analytics]] [[Work]] [[Talking]] [[Business]] [[Knowledge]]