Organisational Context (ORG-CONT)

Code: ORG-CONT

The organisational context in which research operates, including governance, decision-making structures, incentives, power dynamics and conduct expectations that shape how research is commissioned, valued and acted upon.

ORG-CONT 1.0.0 Decision-making & power

P

ORG-CONT 1.0.1

Decision-making transparency principle

Research is most effective when decision-making structures are visible, understood and open to scrutiny.

Teams should know where research influences decisions and where it does not.

C

ORG-CONT 1.0.2

Use of research in decisions

Leaders, commissioners and decision-makers must:

  • engage with research findings before major decisions are finalised
  • avoid selectively citing evidence to justify predetermined outcomes
  • be explicit when decisions diverge from research and record the rationale
  • avoid pressuring researchers to reshape findings to fit political or organisational preferences

ORG-CONT 1.1.0 Stakeholder management & engagement

G

ORG-CONT 1.1.1

Stakeholder context applies at all levels

This section applies to organisations, research teams, and individuals tasked with defining, conducting, or governing user research.

ORG-CONT 1.2.0 Discover stakeholder communication styles, power and expectations

P

ORG-CONT 1.2.1

Audience insight principle

Understanding stakeholder communication preferences and expectations improves trust, credibility and research influence.

R

ORG-CONT 1.2.2

Align research to organisational strategy

Researchers must uncover organisational strategic objectives and understand how the current project contributes to longer-term goals.

C

ORG-CONT 1.2.3

Ethical stakeholder conduct

Researchers must act with integrity when navigating organisational power, avoiding selective reporting, political manipulation, or suppression of findings.

Conduct includes honest communication of limitations, uncertainty and risk, even where findings are inconvenient.

ORG-CONT 2.0.0 Governance & accountability

R

ORG-CONT 2.0.1

Governance ownership requirement

Each research area must have a clearly identified governance owner responsible for standards, escalation and accountability.

C

ORG-CONT 2.0.2

Leadership behaviour

Leaders sponsoring research must:

  • protect researchers from inappropriate pressure or retaliation
  • support ethical and methodologically sound approaches, even when inconvenient
  • model respectful engagement with participants and findings
  • ensure research is not treated as optional when evidence is required

ORG-CONT 2.1.0 Maturity of an organisation engaging in research

G

ORG-CONT 2.1.1

Assess organisational research maturity

Understanding research maturity helps determine appropriate methods, governance, expectations and support.

R

ORG-CONT 2.1.2

Understand existing research capability

Researchers must identify existing research roles, communities of practice, tools and governance mechanisms within the organisation.

C

ORG-CONT 2.1.3

Respect maturity boundaries

Researchers must not over-promise impact, precision or certainty beyond the organisation’s research maturity, infrastructure or readiness.

Conduct requires adapting methods, language and expectations responsibly, without overstating confidence or misrepresenting insight quality.

ORG-CONT 3.0.0 Incentives, pressure & delivery context

G

ORG-CONT 3.0.1

Recognising delivery pressure

Research teams operate under delivery, political and reputational pressures.

Leaders should explicitly acknowledge these pressures when planning, prioritising and interpreting research.

C

ORG-CONT 3.0.2

Accountability & transparency

Those accountable for research governance must:

  • ensure decisions affecting research are documented and auditable
  • maintain transparency over trade-offs between speed, risk and evidence quality
  • support independent challenge and escalation where standards are compromised
  • treat breaches of research conduct as organisational risks, not individual failures

Glossary & definitions

Organisational context
The structures, incentives, governance and cultural norms that shape how work is done within an organisation.
Conduct standard
An explicit expectation of behaviour that applies across roles, regardless of seniority or discipline.

Templates & artefacts

Change history

Version Date Summary of changes Author / owner
0.1-draft 2025-12-11 Introduced ORG-CONT with decision-making, stakeholder engagement, governance, maturity, incentives and embedded conduct standards. ResearchOps Governance Team