How does Science relate to business operations?

People have asked me how did you end up in business operations with a B.S in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy?

To me, there are similarities between the two. There is a way of thinking through a problem or question and finding a solution or new piece of information which contributes to the overall knowledge. In science that is discovering more about the way the natural world works and the interconnections in the ecosystem.  In business, I have heard it said that the company is like an organism because there are interrelations and dependencies that help a company run more efficiently.

Here is my take on the parallels between science and business…

Step 1: Observation and Asking a Question. In business, you are constantly observing the people, processes, costs, and other resources to see what is working and what is not working.  It is through observation that you either decide something is a “best practice” or there is an issue. Most companies want to know the cause of the issue or why something is working so well. 

Step 2: Research and form a Hypothesis Part of the method is research where you read about past experiments in your field to use as the foundation of your new experiment.  In business, you read the latest management, leadership, culture, HR, etc. studies and insights from magazines and academics in the field. 

From the research and our own observations, we formulate a thought about why something may be working well or may not be working well. That is the hypothesis in the scientific method.   

 Step 3: Design an Experiment. Outside of science, we do not always take the next step which is to design and experiment. In business, it is not always easy to control variables and stop the day-to-day operations to identify what happens when “A” is no longer part of the process. However, there are ways that companies do market research or test messages with focus groups to see which resonates more.  This would be an example of an experiment. 

Step 4: Collect and Analyzing Data. While we might not design a specific experiment unless you are using lean six sigma. It is a good practice to look at the data and collect information to analyze.  That can be looking at different perspectives of an issue.  It can be understanding the time it takes to complete a task. It can be looking at the historical costs it takes for a certain product to be made. As a business, you want to know what your return on investment is. You must monitor the data to have an accurate picture to base a conclusion.

Step 5: Conclusion. Businesses will always have something they can improve upon. It is the conclusions or the resolutions that move a business forward. I enjoy bringing the thought process of the scientific, data, and humanistic pieces together to find that resolution.