Culture - Intertwingled: Information Changes Everything - page 85

Figure 4-5. Ways of knowing.
We do this often in our personal lives, but it's tricky to pull off in business. It's hard to ask others
to “trust my gut” so we routinely manufacture evidence. Experts are hired to validate the course
of action. User studies are designed to approve the interface. Metrics are defined to back the
plan. It's amazing how much is done in support of what we already know.
Within a culture, the idiosyncrasy of authoritative information is mostly invisible. Insiders rarely
question their institutional ways of knowing. As a consultant, I've had clients who place too
much faith in my expertise, and others who don't trust enough. Some use “usability tests” as the
sole source of truth. Others track conversions as the way to know what's right. And an awful lot
of folks simply believe the boss knows best.