Whether it’s a new product, a reinvigorated marketing plan or a concept for more efficient operations, innovation is the cornerstone of growth. Some companies have built a brand on it. Others, to their own peril—and near doom—have ignored it.

Most research projects create a picture of what’s already occurred. They can detail—often with finite precision—purchase patterns, motivations and satisfaction. But research can and should have a more compelling role than simply documenting the past.

It is a generally undisputed and much discussed fact that the frequency, pace and magnitude of decisions facing marketers has accelerated exponentially in recent years. Success in business is directly attributable to the accrued effect of those decisions. The one who makes the greatest number of right decisions wins.