We could foster cooperation if there is a higher ground: what is the purpose of the research? Can we move now to purpose led research?

Research Data can be interpreted in many ways unless a clear objective, research methodology, if respondent based then it should have meta data about respondent profile such as background, age, experience, etc.. In marketing research, one may even combine to cross tab research data from two different studies to get directional insights if the respondents to both studies are same or minimum 80% or above to be same. By establishing clear objectives, assumptions, limitations, expected result “always begin with outcome in mind” along with boundaries such as timelines you can get the team involved to come up with their approach and interpretation, which can be further evaluated as a group to extract best outcomes for the problem in hand.

Encourage open debates to express all opinions. Hold seminars to harmonize data interpretation and insights. Data visualization simplifies and impartialises complicated facts. Set a common research aim.

The answer to resolve any divergence is, in any case, debate. But the key is to be very clear about the objective of the research. Otherwise we could even fall into academic discussions that could waste our time.