Many CMI teams still struggle to shape decisions because insights arrive too late or lack context even with AI tools.
Leaders need insights that show up early and guide decisions faster.
High-impact teams design insight for action. They take a clear point of view and connect insight directly to decisions.
Insights only matter if people can easily find, understand, and rely on them.
AI works best with human judgment. Speed matters, but confidence and credibility matter more.
You can have great data, powerful tools, and advanced AI, and still struggle to shape decisions.
That’s the reality many Consumer & Market Insights (CMI) teams face heading into 2026. Research is faster. Dashboards are everywhere. Analysis is more sophisticated than ever. Yet insights still arrive late, land without context, or never get used at all. The payoff falls short, momentum stalls, and teams are left wondering why their work isn’t driving the business forward.
They’re bringing the skills and the effort; the problem is the way many insight teams operate, which hasn’t kept pace with the times.
Decisions now happen faster. They’re less linear, and they’re increasingly supported by AI. Leaders who make decisions find themselves swimming in information but thirsting for clarity. As they navigate through uncertainty and constant change, they need insights that show up early, connect the dots and help them move forward with confidence.
Many insight teams, nevertheless, are still organized for slower, step-by-step decision cycles. Present the results, the observations, then discuss recommendations.
This disconnect creates friction between teams and prevents insights from informing actions and delivering outcomes. It’s exactly the kind of barrier that The Insight Leader’s Playbook for 2026 is designed to remove.
The playbook brings together lessons from insight leaders across industries to answer a pressing question:
How can CMI teams strengthen credibility, increase influence, and drive real impact in an AI-powered organization?
The playbook focuses on what high-performing insight teams are doing right now to stay relevant and influential:
They shape decisions, not just deliver findings.
Top-performing teams take a clear point of view. They connect insight to choice and give leaders direction they can act on.
They make insight easy to find and hard to ignore.
When knowledge lives in too many places, it gets overlooked. High-impact teams create a single, trusted destination for insight that stakeholders return to again and again.
They use AI to accelerate work while protecting trust.
AI speeds up research and synthesis. Human judgment ensures accuracy, context, and confidence. The strongest teams balance both.
And that’s just the start.
This playbook is designed for insight directors, senior managers, and CMI leaders who need to:
If your insights feel present but peripheral, this playbook will help you change that.
The Insight Leader’s Playbook for 2026 goes deeper into practical frameworks, real-world examples, and clear actions you can apply right away.
We’re also hosting a live webinar to explore these ideas and share how insight leaders are putting them into practice.
👉 Download the playbook to get the full picture
👉 Register for the live webinar to turn insight into action