Episode 91: Working Well Together – One year on
One year on, Ruth returns to take stock of where things stand through the “Working Well Together Charter” - a practical framework built around six core principles designed to make client-agency relationships more intentional, more respectful, and ultimately more productive. Those principles cover everything from respecting agency time and the right to disconnect, to committing to open communication and treating agency partners as genuine members of the team. As Ruth is quick to acknowledge, none of this is rocket science. The challenge has never been knowing what good looks like; it's consistently living up to it under the pressures of real working life. That honest tension is what makes this conversation so valuable. We dig into findings from recent research with Aura members and agency partners that paint an encouraging picture. When the principles are genuinely applied, the results are tangible: more innovative proposals, deeper insights, better value, and stronger working relationships on both sides. There's a broader theme here, too, one that will resonate with any Insight professional looking to raise their team's profile. The most impactful Insight teams aren't just managing projects; they're building the kind of trusted partnership that makes better thinking possible. That’s one of the 9P’s in James Wycherley’s Insight Leader’s Playbook and an important aspect for any Insight professional who is working to become an Insight activist in their organisation. If you run a client-side Insight team or a market research agency, please visit the Aura website here to explore the Working Well Together Charter and think about how its principles might apply to your client-agency relationships. Please listen to find out more! Topics Discussed Six Principles of the Charter (2.42) Preferred Client Status and Agency Relationships (09.08) Navigating Budget Transparency (13.07) Training Needs for Insight Professionals (18.41) How to Learn More About the Charter (25.31) This is episode 91 of the Transforming Insight podcast. If you have the ambition to transform your Insight team and the role it plays in your organisation, please tune in to future episodes. Not only will we explore the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams as outlined in the Transforming Insight book, and the 9Ps of The Insight Leader’s Playbook, we will also talk to senior corporate Insight leaders, delve into books that have inspired us, and discuss new best practice research carried out with the IMA’s corporate members. You won’t want to miss this! So please subscribe - and thank you for listening. About James Wycherley James Wycherley was Director of Customer Insight and Analytics at Barclays Bank from 2005 to 2015 when he became Chief Executive of the Insight Management Academy (IMA). He published his first book, Transforming Insight, in 2020, and his second, The Insight Leader’s Playbook, in 2025, and he hosts the Insight forums and the Transforming Insight podcast. An entertaining keynote speaker, he has presented over 60 times at Quirk’s events, a global record, and has provided thought leadership in the UK, USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, India and the Middle East. The Insight Management Academy is the world’s leading authority on transforming corporate Insight teams, and its vision is to inspire and support every Insight leader to transform the impact of Insight in their organisation. Resources: If you would like more information on any of the ideas discussed in this episode of the Transforming Insight podcast, please visit www.insight-management.org Disclaimer The Transforming Insight podcast is published by the Insight Management Academy and produced by Zorbiant.
