How to Build the Insight Edge with Vivek Banerji

More information doesn’t automatically lead to better insights, and the relationship between data and insight is nonlinear. Vivek Banerji, Author & Founder, Insight Dojo, joins host Niels Schillewaert, Head of Research, Conveo.ai, to unpack why organizations often conflate insight with information and stay “data rich but insights poor.” They discuss what leaders and insights teams miss most often: clearly defining the real problem, acknowledging uncertainty, and avoiding the trap of confirming leadership hypotheses. Vivek shares a case where ethnographic work with doctors overturned a plausible assumption and helped drive a 40% sales increase through a clearer mechanism story. The conversation also explores the “pragmatic polymath” mindset, micro-mastery for skill building, and how AI works best when paired with real-world experience, judgment, and human-centered thinking.

00:00 Polymathic Teaser

00:20 Podcast Welcome

01:26 Data Rich Insights Poor

03:09 Insight vs Information

05:07 Building the Insight Edge

08:35 Has Insight Improved

10:52 What Counts as Insight

12:28 Ethnography Case Study

19:08 Pragmatic Polymath

23:46 Cultivating Polymath Skills

27:11 AI and Human Judgment

29:53 Career Habits for Insight

31:49 Wrap Up and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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