I went to KMWorld in San Jose last week. Amongst the vendors I found an intriguing gem on the Expo floor. Cognitive Edge have forged their way into a niche field where I’m sure few others have.
Tying together cognitive science and social behavior observation, they are a consultancy service that embraces an open source approach. I realize I’m creeping steadily into New Ageiness, but bear with me.
One of their staff members gave me this analogy. Specifically within the context of mergers and acquisitions, folks at the top of the food chain are far removed from the reality of the success or (usual) failure of the business decision. By framing a simple question to those more closely involved in the day-to-day of the merger or acquisition, Cognitive Edge relies on research to gather information and get to the heart of the issues. The simple, unassuming question of ‘What decisions did you make today?’ allows patterns and meaning to emerge.
Cognitive Edge employs a software suite that provides tools to create a metric for the data and create meaning for their clients. For example, if the employees kept using the same words to answer the question, those words would be tagged and weighted, depending on their significance. Through this process, Cognitive Edge can produce an analysis that standard surveys cannot.
Why is that? For starters, pointed questions in a survey format always infer something, and at times they cause the participant to answer in a way that favors a positive result. However – this won’t improve the bottom line of a company – only the truth will. Writing an answer to a question also removes a social barrier. Once can sit comfortably behind the anonymity of written word, as opposed to speaking one’s thoughts out loud in front of an audience.
I’ve greatly over simplifed what Cognitivie Edge does, but if you’re still with me and I’ve piqued your interest, read more about their work in these articles by Dave Snowden, Cognitive Edge’s Founder and CSO.
