What if the gap between what people say and what they actually do holds the key to better business decisions?

In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta sits down with Laurie Michaels, sociologist and Associate Director of Market Research at Innovation Partners, to explore why understanding people requires looking beyond what they say. Laurie shares how qualitative research, structured curiosity, and interdisciplinary thinking help uncover the motivations that drive decisions across healthcare and business.

The conversation examines the "say-do gap," revealing why customers, patients, physicians, and payers often act differently than expected and how organizations can align competing incentives to reduce friction. Laurie also discusses the value of literature, philosophy, and pattern recognition in developing better judgment, an increasingly important skill in an AI-driven world where information is abundant but discernment is scarce.

From extracting meaningful outcomes to asking better questions, this episode offers practical insights for leaders seeking to make smarter decisions, build stronger customer connections, and turn insight into foresight.

Laurie Michaels is a sociologist and Associate Director of Market Research at Innovation Partners, specializing in understanding the gap between what people say and what they actually do. With a PhD in sociology and expertise spanning health care market research, behavioral sciences, and market access, she brings a multidisciplinary perspective to organizational decision-making.

Key Takeaways
👉 Build a Competitive Advantage Through Cross-Disciplinary Thinking – Laurie explains that breakthrough ideas rarely emerge from staying within one field. By drawing inspiration from literature, philosophy, art, and behavioral science, leaders develop broader perspectives and identify opportunities others overlook. CMOs and entrepreneurs who intentionally cultivate diverse inputs can improve problem-solving, uncover unexpected patterns, and create more innovative products, campaigns, and customer experiences.
👉 Uncover Real Customer Motivations by Closing the Say-Do Gap – Laurie explains that customers often behave differently from what they claim in surveys and interviews. Businesses that rely solely on stated preferences risk building strategies on incomplete information. Through qualitative research, active observation, and deeper questioning, leaders can uncover the true motivations behind decisions and create messaging, products, and experiences that better reflect reality.
👉 Align Stakeholder Incentives Instead of Sharing More Information – Laurie explains that business challenges often arise because stakeholders optimize for different outcomes. Patients, customers, partners, and buyers each define success differently. By identifying and addressing these competing incentives, organizations can create more effective value propositions, reduce friction, and improve collaboration across complex buying environments and multi-stakeholder decision-making processes.
👉 Use Observation, Curiosity, and Literature to Generate Better Insights – Laurie explains that meaningful research requires more than collecting data. Listening closely, asking probing questions, and studying human behavior through literature and social sciences help reveal hidden motivations. By combining these techniques, researchers and marketers gain a deeper understanding of customer psychology and uncover insights that traditional surveys and analytics often fail to capture.
👉 Prioritize Discernment and Judgment in an AI-Driven World – Laurie explains that as information becomes increasingly accessible, the real differentiator is the ability to ask better questions and interpret findings thoughtfully. Organizations that develop strong judgment and align decisions with their values will outperform those simply collecting more data. In an AI-saturated world, discernment is becoming one of the most valuable business skills.
👉 Create Stronger Insights by Connecting Disparate Ideas – Laurie explains that insights are not isolated facts but connections between seemingly unrelated pieces of information. By synthesizing trends, behaviors, and perspectives across industries and disciplines, leaders can uncover deeper truths about their markets. This gap-bridging approach enables businesses to identify opportunities competitors miss and develop more compelling strategies grounded in a broader understanding of human behavior.

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Episode Resources:
Darshan Mehta on LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta/
iResearch Website - https://iresearch.com
Laurie Michaels on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurieannmichaels/
Innovation Partners Website - https://innovationpartners.org/