EP #4: Building Enduring Systems Amidst Constant Change

ResearchOps 2.0 is brought to you by User Interviews—the only solution you need to recruit high-quality participants for any kind of research.

In just ten years, ResearchOps has transformed from an obscure Silicon Valley speciality into a vibrant global profession. Despite economic headwinds, ResearchOps roles are emerging across industries far beyond tech, and the field is evolving at breathtaking speed. But where have we come from, and where are we going?

In this five-part audio documentary, we’re exploring the past, present, and future of ResearchOps—and it’s exciting, fascinating, and, at times, pretty mindblowing stuff! Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews—the only solution you need to recruit high-quality participants for any kind of research.

To scale up; tune in.

In This Episode

In this fourth and penultimate episode of ResearchOps 2.0, we’re exploring a timely topic: how to build enduring research systems even when change seems to be the order of the day—every day. You’ll learn top tips from people who’ve managed to ride the winds of change and evolve to deliver successful research operations. Here’s what this episode covers:

(1.08) About this Episode

(2.12) Change Isn’t the Exception, It’s the Rule

(4.52) The Elephant-in-the-Room Topic: Layoffs

(10.39) Layoffs Impacted People All over the World

(11.55) Layoffs from an Economics Point of View

(16.30) But Layoffs Are Only One Form of Change

(20.18) A Real-World Transformation at LinkedIn: Taking an Initiative-First Approach

24.05) Attach Yourself to Interesting Problems, Not Solutions

(25.25) You Must Deeply Understand the Business: ‘Read the Tea Leaves’ of the Organisation

(29.00) Work on the Highest Priority; The Biggest Bang for Buck

(31.24) Carolyn’s Top Tip: ‘Businessfy’ Your Work

(33.11) Enable People to Own Things on Their Own

(35.00) Build Adaptability Into Your Research Systems

(37.45) Setting Healthy Boundaries to Manage Constant Change

(40.16) Good Relationship Building Can Help You Manage Change

(41.18) Make Invisible Work Visible

(43.19) Managing the Human Cost of Constant Change: Building Resilience Within Yourself

(47.03) About the Next, Final Episode of ResearchOps 2.0

(48.35) End

This episode features Luana Cruz, Research Operations at Itaú Unibanco; Lexi Breitz, the Director for Research and Customer Insight at Headway; Mia Mishek, Senior UX ResearchOps Manager at Target; Carolyn Morgan, ResearchOps and Enablement Manager at Cisco; Lydia Iana, a ResearchOps specialist; Noel Lamb, the Senior Manager for ResearchOps at ServiceNow; Tim Toy, the Senior Manager for ResearchOps at Adobe; Rodrigo Dalcin, the Staff User Experience ResearchOps at Wealthsimple; Kalee Dankner, the Senior Manager for ResearchOps at LinkedIn; Carina Cook, Director of Product Insights and Operations (ESPN BET/theScore) at PENN Entertainment, Inc.; and Dennis Meng, the co-founder and CPO of User Interviews. What a lineup!

Things Mentioned

- Cha Cha Club—a members’ club for full-time ResearchOps professionals.

- ‘The 2025 Research Budget Report’ by User Interviews

About the Next Episode

The next and final episode of this series drops on October 14th, and it’s dedicated to the people of ResearchOps: the diverse, smart, and incredibly authentic people who make ResearchOps what it is. We’ll cover major themes like burnout, making invisible work visible, and layoffs—the human stuff that’s defined our experience of ResearchOps over the past decade.

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Brought to You By

A Cha Cha Club production, sponsored by User Interviews—the only solution you need to recruit high-quality participants for any kind of research.

Credits

Produced and narrated by Kate Towsey. Co-produced with Cha Cha Club manager, Glenn Familton, and ResearchOps experts, Jenna Lombardo and Renato Venter.

Aria, the robotic voice, was generated by Soundly. Explore the music and (most) sounds featured in this episode via this Epidemic Sound playlist.