You need to think like a desperate manager. Yes, I know, I know.
The job of a manager is to make good choices and decisions. In the absence of an obvious best choice, they have work backward from both success and failure scenarios, including the political and social impacts.
In the absence of external studies and data, if they make an investment in this area and it turns out not to help, they will be left telling their boss things like "everyone says this is right, not sure why my project didn't work."
But a flimsy fig leaf that comes from outside and smells objective is a perfect CYA tool that allows the manager to take a risk while anticipating the need to manage and contain failure.
Does that describe a healthy dynamic and a smart organization? No, but it's reality at many places.
The job of a manager is to make good choices and decisions. In the absence of an obvious best choice, they have work backward from both success and failure scenarios, including the political and social impacts.
In the absence of external studies and data, if they make an investment in this area and it turns out not to help, they will be left telling their boss things like "everyone says this is right, not sure why my project didn't work."
But a flimsy fig leaf that comes from outside and smells objective is a perfect CYA tool that allows the manager to take a risk while anticipating the need to manage and contain failure.
Does that describe a healthy dynamic and a smart organization? No, but it's reality at many places.