Driving, Chess, and Market Research

What do driving, chess, and market research all have in common? No, this isn’t the beginning of a silly joke (though if you come up with a punchline, I’d love to hear it). The answer is anticipation; in order to excel in all three, anticipation is required. But don’t just take my word for it:

“The chief qualities of a racing driver are concentration, determination and anticipation.” Graham Hill⁽²⁾, racing driver and winner of the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the F1 World Championship

We don’t have to be Graham Hill, rather just an everyday driver to know that the action of driving well requires being alert and anticipating what is ahead. In the context of sports racing, drivers need to consider the whole course ahead and anticipate the actions of rivals in close proximity. But for the not-so- fast-and-furious of us that simply strive to be safe drivers, we ask ourselves: Is there a stop up ahead? A traffic light that may change colors? What are the cars directly in front of me likely to do amidst these traffic conditions? And how is traffic flowing farther ahead? Anticipation allows us drivers to be prepared to act if—or when—a reason should arise.

“Strategy is of course more long term. So, strategy is seeing the outcome of slow maneuvers, and also anticipating what you can do to disturb your opponent’s plans.” Garry Kasparov⁽³⁾, chess Grandmaster and World Champion

Similarly, anyone with basic knowledge of the game of chess knows it’s necessary to anticipate what an opponent will do given the current board layout, and how they may react to your own moves. Good players can anticipate a couple moves ahead. The best players, like Garry Kasparov states, can strategize entire games in their head and decide their move based on the one that is most likely to lead to success while minimizing risk.

But how does anticipation elevate market research?

“Strategic leaders, in contrast, are constantly vigilant, honing their ability to anticipate by scanning the environment for signals of change.” Harvard Business Review⁽¹⁾

At a high-level, much of the insight from the data collected through quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews is about understanding perceptions and needs. Then based on those results, research consultants must anticipate what products or solutions will be a favorable to maximize sales. As Schoemaker et al.⁽³⁾ put it, “Conduct market research and business simulations to understand competitors’ perspectives, gauge their likely reactions to new initiatives or products, and predict potential disruptive offerings.” By researching the competition and the general market, consultants can better anticipate the best decisions for stakeholders and their businesses.

At a more granular level, market researchers must utilize anticipation as a skill throughout their day-to-day activities to be successful. For example, writing a survey or interview outline requires researchers to think through how respondents may answer, and subsequently adjust or write additional questions to capture the full narrative. Then when presenting the findings, the researcher must understand the roles and objectives of the project stakeholders, predict questions that may arise from the findings, and produce insights tailored to their business needs. Therefore, anticipation is omnipresent across market research roles and phases.

If anticipation can help race car drivers and chess players outperform others and provide a competitive advantage, then there’s a good chance market researchers can apply it, too.

References

• https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/hall-of-fame/Graham_Hill.html
• https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/garry-kasparov
• Paul J. H. Schoemaker, Steve Krupp, Samantha Howland. “Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills”, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 2013. https://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-esssential-skills