Stop Wasting Research with Jake Burghardt

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. What You'll Learn from this Episode: Why conducting great studies isn’t enough to ensure research impact. The three root causes of research waste—and how to address them. How to prepare research for long-term relevance, not just short-term use. Why building an Insight Summary Hub creates more value than a simple report repository. How researchers can shift from isolated study outputs to integrated knowledge ecosystems. Why startups and large enterprises alike need to treat research as a living system, not a one-time event. Quick Reference Guide: 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 Resources and Links from Today's Episode: 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/ Quotes: “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.”