Lyle.Gray@midata.com wrote: (in part)
> One of the challenges of our company is the different ?filters? and
> ?points of view? that are encountered on a day-to-day basis. While
> every story has at least two sides, it seems that the most
> expeditious way of dealing with complex issues is with ?hard data?
> and ?hard facts.?
> Can anyone reference me specific books, papers, websites, etc.,
> that help examine the phenomena of ?hard facts? and ?data?
The question posed may be semantics or may be real, but I'm going to give
it a shot just the same. My definition of "hard data/facts" is the
distinction between objective and subjective measures.
If the information is subjective, it will not be the same when interpreted
by several persons. If objective, it is stable regardless of who consumes
and interprets the information. The challenge in making relatively
subjective events (such as the success of an event) is that the term
"success" must be defined in quantifiable terms. Often, this is not
satisfactory, since the number of people who attended or the length of
time the event lasted may not be a true reflection of the event's ability
to be successful.
The real success may be that warm fuzzy stuff called happiness, and not
one given to objective measures. When pushed, I retreat to the old Likert
scales to "objectively measure" the opinions of individuals. Market
research surveys are king of this realm.
I don't know if this is at all what you are seeking, but lots of luck.
regards,
Vana Prewitt
vprewitt@bellsouth.net
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