bias

In most organisations we engage with, the first thing that is considered whenever a behaviour change is required is an incentive scheme.  If we need better customer experience ratings, let's incentivise the front-line staff; if we need people to share knowledge, let's link that behaviour to their KPA's; and so on, and so on.

In Gerald Zaltman's new book, Marketing Metaphoria he writes:

"There are no easy solutions, just prescriptions for failure:
When an answer immediately emerges from the data, the researchers probably rigged it into the study.  That is, their confirmatory research mind-set unwittingly designed the study to arrive at the apparent solution.  Beware of obvious conclusions."

This is why we are such strong proponents of pre-hypothesis research.

I came across an excerpt from a book by Dr Kevin Leman called What your childhood memories say about you. He tells some funny stories of his own childhood, mostly to make a case that if you examine your collection of childhood memories, you'll discover themes that reveal what he calls your private logic, a term coined by psychologist Alfred Adler.