Our world is far too complicated to simply go out and try to observe it with a tabula rasa mindset. The challenge of any research effort is turning observations into insights that produce a new understanding and strategy. When it comes to the kind of research that feeds strategic choices, one way to stand back far enough to perceive the insight is to review the data in the context of a hypothesis, or set of hypotheses, in much the same way a scientist does. Article: The Art of Strategic Observation