Most organizations don't suffer from a lack of research—they suffer from a failure to use it well. Jake Burghardt, author of Stop Wasting Research, joins Lou to explore why so many valuable insights are lost after the study ends—and what we can do about it. Burghardt argues that building a research repository is only the first step; real impact comes from treating research like a renewable resource that feeds decisions over time.
Drawing on his work with the ResearchOps community, Burghardt outlines three root causes of research waste: poor preparation, lack of motivation to use insights, and weak integration into decision-making processes. He introduces practical frameworks, like the concept of an “Insight Summary Hub,” that help organizations surface, prioritize, and apply past research effectively. Whether you're at a startup or a large enterprise, Burghardt emphasizes that moving from isolated studies to collective knowledge-sharing is critical to building true research wealth—and creating a culture where insights drive action.
0:27 - Meet Jake Burghardt
1:16 - The motivation behind writing Stop Wasting Research
6:26 - Who is Jake’s book for?
10:01 - The root causes of research waste
15:01 - Why you should be using the Rosenverse
17:17 - A story from Lou about working with PayPal
20:31 - You’ve got research — now what?
25:02 - Insight summary hub
27:19 - Dealing with the unknown unknowns
32:29 - Jake’s gift to listeners
Stop Wasting Research: Maximize the Product Impact of Your Organization’s Customer Insights by Jake Burghardt https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/stop-wasting-research/
“Common Sense AI Integration” by Alexander Knoll https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-integration-condens/
“This is not just problems but opportunities for growth.”
“Research is too often seen as an optional input rather than a driver.”
“There is no one tool to rule them all.”
“Owner is the most important metadata.”
