Battle report from a corporate psychologist: Why inaccurate methods are easier to sell and what we can do about it

Abstract

As a psychologist working in consulting, dealing with various types of organizational research is my daily bread. The amount of low-quality methods and tools lacking adequate validation that I encounter in the business world is staggering. Even more worrying is their popularity in business and their resistance to being replaced by validated methods, even if they are available. For some reason business seems to prefer using questionable tools. This paper explores why such tools dominate the market. Several reasons are discussed for why these methods may have an advantage over those designed and validated by academia. Possible solutions to overcome this problem are also discussed.