Initiating Effective Consumer Research to Support Strategic Decision Making in Local Authorities

There is great emphasis in local authorities for strategy development to reflect the characteristics and views of a local populace. Initiating research which effectively supports strategy development is problematic, as the gaps in strategists′ knowledge of a populace are not self‐evident. Examines the problems of initiating effective research which can support strategy development, and the barriers existing in local authorities which can prevent the successful development of research. Presents a format for a research brief that is seen as a means to develop negotiations between the strategist and the researcher. The brief is seen as a means to test the nature of skills in problem diagnosis and data interpretation of the researcher, in addition to their skills of measurement. It is a test of what the researcher can bring to the demanding tasks of strategy development.