Analyzing information from Intuition is not just about applying common sense, it's about using your intuition to guide you through the evaluation of data. Most of the time we are not willing to admit that we are wrong or are too scared to put our own judgments into use. When in doubt, we should exercise the classic "if it feels right, then it probably is" approach.
The classic test of whether an idea is valid comes in the form of a case study. If a situation involving a known subject and situation occurs, there is a certain way that an analyst can interpret the data. If he or she can correctly apply the rules to that data then it is considered valid information.
However, many analysts feel strongly that intuition is not to be trusted completely. They point out that there are some cases where intuition proves to be incorrect. Intuition usually works best when there is no obvious pattern to the situation at hand or specific data that is easily available. In such a case, intuition fails to provide a clear answer. Only analysis can stand on solid ground by pointing out the general characteristics of the situation, then giving an explanation as to why the intuition is correct.
Business people can be very intuitive, especially when dealing with customers. People are naturally drawn to what they do not understand, and business intuition is most often self-preservative. That means that when a person faces a seemingly impossible situation, instinct tends to lead them to a conclusion that is more plausible. Customers do not understand that their demands are unreasonable and intuition tends to point them in the direction of a solution they can easily understand. This is where the real value of intuition can be found.
Some business schools have made it mandatory for their graduates to undergo an intuition workshop, during which they are taught how to develop and refine their intuitive abilities. During the workshop, students are given the chance to apply their knowledge and their new understanding of the world around them to real-life scenarios.
By doing so, they are able to see how their intuition fits with cold hard facts. They can then use that information to assist their analysis. However, because business intuition and analysis are two different processes, intuition workshops can sometimes be pointless. What makes a workshop useful is whether or not students find their intuition validated by the results of their analysis.
Many business owners feel that intuition cannot be tested, as it is always too subjective. But the cold hard truth is that while intuition is mostly harmless, it is also completely necessary for effective business analysis. Without intuition, business leaders would have to do everything themselves, which could be both time-consuming and confusing. Analyzing data without intuition does not just save time, but it also saves unnecessary frustration on the part of the business leader.
Integrating intuition with analysis can be quite beneficial for a business. The intuition provided during a business intuition workshop often comes from experiences that a person has had in life, and they, therefore, provide detailed insights into the way people handle and process information. These personal examples help business leaders train themselves to collect and interpret the data that comes out of an analysis of intuition.