Innumeracy, numerical illiteracy, stands in the way of too much innovation. A secondary, deeper, challenge to decisions comes when we forget the, “lies, damned lies, and statistics” statement.

I continue to find a research challenge research bounce between how much data is enough and how much data is relevant. In “Against the Gods, The Remarkable Story of Risk”, I was reminded there are never enough resources to have 100% of the data or a large enough population for true statistical validity: the reason predictions are never 100% confident.

So in statistics without an understanding of confidence intervals we generalize. When we paint statistics to others, too many develop innumeracy or rarely drill down for clarification poor data collection or sample size validity. Without simple questions about the data statistics are often still the criteria a decision is made; no longer a just portion of other qualitative or quantitative information, but an unequal weight in our decisions.

Innumeracy in the wrong hands drives political agenda and people begin to quote, misquote, and bend the statistics (most likely a set of statistics that were not gathered scientifically) to prove their point or discredit another’s point. [Example: This year our Massachusetts sales tax was raised 25% - while technically true the point of using the number 25% had an agenda] Numbers without a justification or a story behind them should be thrown in the bin.

The reason we remember Aesop’s fables, Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, or even the Hewlett Packard garage is that stories, not numbers, are easy to carry and pass along. The act of story telling requires listening and a compelling plot. So much easier than processing facts and figures. Listening to a story that is supported with numbers (even statistics) will not intimidate those innumerics, and before written language, stories were the only way to pass on history, skills, and survival needs.

It is interesting this one post present both data gathering and story telling. To me the simple words “data gathering” conveys an image of a white lab coat; where story telling conveys a gripping scene entirely different from the lab coat.

The last twist with numbers, or statistics, related to the blog is that statistics does have an ability to fuel story-telling and innovation: just frame the numbers as a start of the opportunity or an incomplete part of picture and your foundation is set. An interesting and powerful too for generative change management is Appreciative Inqiury the core of which relies on story telling.

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Cheers!

Angelina…

Good post. What’s interesting is that the folks who make the products that we use everyday (think Tide detergent) have been doing this type of anthropological study forever. They send their researchers out to live in our houses and watch us use their products.

Those really cool washer / dryers that open from the front are a direct result of these types of studies.

- Dr. Jim Anderson
The Accidental Communicator Blog
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