Davenport and Prusak on KM and big data/analytics: interview with David J. Pauleen

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Pauleen

Purpose Larry Prusak and Tom Davenport have long been leading voices in the knowledge management (KM) field. This interview aims to explore their views on the relationship between KM and big data/analytics. Design/methodology/approach An interview was conducted by email with Larry Prusak and Tom Davenport in 2015 and updated in 2016. Findings Prusak and Davenport hold differing views on the role of KM today. They also see the relationship between KM and big data/analytics somewhat differently. Davenport, in particular, has much to say on how big data/analytics can be best utilized by business as well as its potential risks. Originality/value It is important to understand how two of the most serious KM thinkers since the early years of KM understand the relationship between big data/analytics, KM and organizations. Their views can help shape thinking in these fields.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Su ◽  
Weipeng Zeng ◽  
Manhua Zheng ◽  
Xiaoli Jiang ◽  
Wenhe Lin ◽  
...  

PurposeFollowing the rapid expansion of data volume, velocity and variety, techniques and technologies, big data analytics have achieved substantial development and a surge of companies make investments in big data. Academics and practitioners have been considering the mechanism through which big data analytics capabilities can transform into their improved organizational performance. This paper aims to examine how big data analytics capabilities influence organizational performance through the mediating role of dual innovations.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the resource-based view and recent literature on big data analytics, this paper aims to examine the direct effects of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC) on organizational performance, as well as the mediating role of dual innovations on the relationship between (BDAC) and organizational performance. The study extends existing research by making a distinction of BDACs' effect on their outcomes and proposing that BDACs help organizations to generate insights that can help strengthen their dual innovations, which in turn have a positive impact on organizational performance. To test our proposed research model, this study conducts empirical analysis based on questionnaire-base survey data collected from 309 respondents working in Chinese manufacturing firms.FindingsThe results support the proposed hypotheses regarding the direct and indirect effect that BDACs have on organizational performance. Specifically, this paper finds that dual innovations positively mediate BDACs' effect on organizational performance.Originality/valueThe conclusions on the relationship between big data analytics capabilities and organizational performance in previous research are controversial due to lack of theoretical foundation and empirical testing. This study resolves the issue by provides empirical analysis, which makes the research conclusions more scientific and credible. In addition, previous literature mainly focused on BDACs' direct impact on organizational performance without making a distinction of BDAC's three dimensions. This study contributes to the literature by thoroughly introducing the notions of BDAC's three core constituents and fully analyzing their relationships with organizational performance. What's more, empirical research on the mechanism of big data analytics' influence on organizational performance is still at a rudimentary stage. The authors address this critical gap by exploring the mediation of dual innovations in the relationship through survey-based research. The research conclusions of this paper provide new perspective for understanding the impact of big data analytics capabilities on organizational performance, and enrich the theoretical research connotation of big data analysis capabilities and dual innovation behavior.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Pauleen ◽  
William Y.C. Wang

Purpose This viewpoint study aims to make the case that the field of knowledge management (KM) must respond to the significant changes that big data/analytics is bringing to operationalizing the production of organizational data and information. Design/methodology/approach This study expresses the opinions of the guest editors of “Does Big Data Mean Big Knowledge? Knowledge Management Perspectives on Big Data and Analytics”. Findings A Big Data/Analytics-Knowledge Management (BDA-KM) model is proposed that illustrates the centrality of knowledge as the guiding principle in the use of big data/analytics in organizations. Research limitations/implications This is an opinion piece, and the proposed model still needs to be empirically verified. Practical implications It is suggested that academics and practitioners in KM must be capable of controlling the application of big data/analytics, and calls for further research investigating how KM can conceptually and operationally use and integrate big data/analytics to foster organizational knowledge for better decision-making and organizational value creation. Originality/value The BDA-KM model is one of the early models placing knowledge as the primary consideration in the successful organizational use of big data/analytics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Pauleen

Purpose Dave Snowden has been an important voice in knowledge management over the years. As the founder and chief scientific officer of Cognitive Edge, a company focused on the development of the theory and practice of social complexity, he offers informative views on the relationship between big data/analytics and KM. Design/methodology/approach A face-to-face interview was held with Dave Snowden in May 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand. Findings According to Snowden, analytics in the form of algorithms are imperfect and can only to a small extent capture the reasoning and analytical capabilities of people. For this reason, while big data/analytics can be useful, they are limited and must be used in conjunction with human knowledge and reasoning. Practical implications Snowden offers his views on big data/analytics and how they can be used effectively in real world situations in combination with human reasoning and input, for example in fields from resource management to individual health care. Originality/value Snowden is an innovative thinker. He combines knowledge and experience from many fields and offers original views and understanding of big data/analytics, knowledge and management.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Bahrami ◽  
Sajjad Shokouhyar

PurposeBig data analytics capability (BDAC) can affect firm performance in several ways. The purpose of this paper is to understand how BDA capabilities affect firm performance through supply chain resilience in the presence of the risk management culture.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a cross-sectional approach to collect survey-based responses to examine the hypotheses. 167 responses were collected and analyzed using partial least squares in SmartPLS3. The respondents were generally senior IT executives with education and experience in data and business analytics.FindingsThe results show that BDA capabilities increase supply chain resilience as a mediator by enhancing innovative capabilities and information quality, ultimately leading to improved firm performance. In addition, the relationship between supply chain resilience and firm performance is influenced by risk management culture as a moderator.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to the relevant literature by demonstrating the mediating role of supply chain resilience between the BDA capabilities relationship and firm performance. In this context, some theoretical and managerial implications are proposed and discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1923-1936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Ferraris ◽  
Alberto Mazzoleni ◽  
Alain Devalle ◽  
Jerome Couturier

Purpose Big data analytics (BDA) guarantees that data may be analysed and categorised into useful information for businesses and transformed into big data related-knowledge and efficient decision-making processes, thereby improving performance. However, the management of the knowledge generated from the BDA as well as its integration and combination with firm knowledge have scarcely been investigated, despite an emergent need of a structured and integrated approach. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Through an empirical analysis based on structural equation modelling with data collected from 88 Italian SMEs, the authors tested if BDA capabilities have a positive impact on firm performances, as well as the mediator effect of knowledge management (KM) on this relationship. Findings The findings of this paper show that firms that developed more BDA capabilities than others, both technological and managerial, increased their performances and that KM orientation plays a significant role in amplifying the effect of BDA capabilities. Originality/value BDA has the potential to change the way firms compete through better understanding, processing, and exploiting of huge amounts of data coming from different internal and external sources and processes. Some managerial and theoretical implications are proposed and discussed in light of the emergence of this new phenomenon.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 4313-4337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minwoo Lee ◽  
Seonjeong (Ally) Lee ◽  
Yoon Koh

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of customers’ multisensory service experience on customer satisfaction with cognitive effort and affective evaluations using big data and business intelligence techniques. Design/methodology/approach Online customer reviews for all New York City hotels were collected from Tripadvisor.com and analyzed through business intelligence and big data analytics techniques including data mining, text analytics, sentiment analysis and regression analysis. Findings The current study identifies the relationship between affective evaluations (i.e. positive affect and negative affect) and customer satisfaction. Research findings also find the negative effect of reviewer’s cognitive effort on satisfaction rating. More importantly, this study demonstrates the moderating role of multisensory experience as an innovative marketing tool on the relationship between affect/cognitive evaluation and customer satisfaction in the hospitality setting. Originality/value This study is the first study to explore the critical role of sensory marketing on hotel guest experience in the context of hotel customer experience and service innovation, based on big data and business intelligence techniques.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 512-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Fosso Wamba ◽  
Shahriar Akter ◽  
Marc de Bourmont

Purpose Big data analytics (BDA) gets all the attention these days, but as important—and perhaps even more important—is big data analytics quality (BDAQ). Although many companies realize a full return from BDA, others clearly struggle. It appears that quality dynamics and their holistic impact on firm performance are unresolved in data economy. The purpose of this paper is to draw on the resource-based view and information systems quality to develop a BDAQ model and measure its impact on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The study uses an online survey to collect data from 150 panel members in France from a leading market research firm. The participants in the study were business analysts and IT managers with analytics experience. Findings The study confirms that perceived technology, talent and information quality are significant determinants of BDAQ. It also identifies that alignment between analytics quality and firm strategy moderates the relationship between BDAQ and firm performance. Practical implications The findings inform practitioners that BDAQ is a hierarchical, multi-dimensional and context-specific model. Originality/value The study advances theoretical understanding of the relationship between BDAQ and firm performance under the influence of firm strategy alignment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Agrawal

Purpose – This paper aims to trace the history, application areas and users of Classical Analytics and Big Data Analytics. Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses different types of Classical and Big Data Analytical techniques and application areas from the early days to present day. Findings – Businesses can benefit from a deeper understanding of Classical and Big Data Analytics to make better and more informed decisions. Originality/value – This is a historical perspective from the early days of analytics to present day use of analytics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parisa Maroufkhani ◽  
Wan Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail ◽  
Morteza Ghobakhloo

Purpose Big data analytics (BDA) is recognized as a turning point for firms to improve their performance. Although small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for every economy, they are lagging far behind in the usage of BDA. This study aims to provide a single and unified model for the adoption of BDA among SMEs with the integration of the technology–organization–environment (TOE) model and resource-based view. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 112 manufacturing SMEs in Iran was conducted, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling to test the model of this study. Findings The results offer evidence of a BDA mediation effect in the relationship between technological, organizational and environmental contexts, and SMEs performance. The findings also demonstrated that technological and organizational elements are the more significant determinants of BDA adoption in the context of SMEs. In addition, the result of this study confirmed that BDA adoption could enhance the financial and market performance of SMEs. Practical implications Providing a single unified framework of BDA adoption for SMEs enables them to appreciate the importance of most influential elements (technology, organization and environment) in the adoption of BDA. Also, this study may encourage SMEs to be more willing to use BDA in their businesses. Originality/value Although there are studies on BDA adoption and firm performance among large companies, there is a lack of empirical research on SMEs, in particular, based on the TOE model. SMEs differ from large companies in terms of the availability of resources and size. Therefore, this study aimed to initiate a conceptual framework of BDA adoption for SMEs to assist them to be able to take advantage of the adoption of such technology.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajiv Dahiya ◽  
Son Le ◽  
John Kirk Ring ◽  
Kevin Watson

PurposeWhile advances in big data analytics (BDA) provide valuable business insights and immense business value, many firms find it difficult to gain advantage from their BDA initiatives. Noting the strategic role of firm-specific knowledge, we develop a framework examining the relation between firm specificity of BDA knowledge and competitive advantage. We also examine the dynamic evolution of BDA capabilities and the associated knowledge management strategies.Design/methodology/approachWe review the resource-based view (RBV), capabilities life cycles and absorptive capacity perspectives along with the literature on BDA competitive advantage. Identifying two key BDA factors, application customization and data proprietorship, we develop a BDA competitive advantage framework. We also investigate the absorptive capacities employed by firms to advance their BDA capabilities. We use anecdotal cases to support our theoretical arguments.FindingsWe propose that BDA solutions with vendor-based applications (noncustomized) and public data will not generate firm-specific knowledge and therefore not provide competitive advantage. In contrast, BDA solutions with custom applications and proprietary data will provide high-level firm-specific knowledge and potentially result in sustained competitive advantage. We further suggest the relevant absorptive capacities and the knowledge management strategies for BDA capability development.Practical implicationsOur framework provides managers with insights into how to develop and enhance firm-specific knowledge from their BDA solutions to gain competitive advantage.Originality/valueOur study offers a new BDA firm-specific knowledge framework for competitive advantage.


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