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BISE RESEARCH PAPER
Big Data and Information Processing in Organizational Decision Processes
A Multiple Case Study
The article presents results from a multiple case study in which we investigate different types of BI&A-supported decision processes. A conception of data-centric and organizational information processing mechanisms for the context of BI&A and big data is developed. The paper shows how different facets of big data and compositions of information processing mechanisms are utilized in different types of BI&A-supported decision processes. With decision processes increasingly becoming non-routine and more uncertain, a tendency towards a decreasing utilization of big data facets and data-centric mechanisms, as well as a complementary increase in reliance on organizational mechanisms is observed. Furthermore, the dynamics of mechanisms composition rises with increasing non-routine and uncertainty.
DOI 10.1007/s12599-014-0341-5
data-centric approaches, a good understanding of the complementary organizational mechanisms is required (Zack 2007, p. 1665), as well as an understanding of the context of the decision processes in which these approaches are to be applied (Davenport 2010, p. 2; Goodhue et al. 1992, p. 299; Isk et al. 2013). Hence, although technologies for handling vast data volumes with huge variety and high velocity are becoming broadly available in industry, the question of whether this results in improved decision making cannot be answered from a purely technical perspective (Buhl et al. 2013, p. 68).
In this regard, organizational information processing theory (Daft and Lengel 1986; Galbraith 1974; Tushman and Nadler 1978) suggests that effective utilization of data requires an appropriate, context-specic composition of information processing mechanisms. In this paper we address the question of which mechanism compositions can be considered appropriate for decision processes in the context of BI&A and big data.By using a multiple case study approach, we investigate four different types of BI&A-supported decision processes from organizations operating in different industries. This paper makes the following contributions: (1) We show how facets of big data and different compositions of information processing mechanisms are utilized in different types of BI&A-supported decision processes.
Business & Information Systems Engineering 5|2014 267
The Authors
Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Martin Kowalczyk ( )
Prof. Dr. Peter Buxmann
Fachgebiet Wirtschaftsinformatik Software Business & Information ManagementTechnische Universitt Darmstadt Hochschulstr. 164289 DarmstadtGermany mailto:[email protected]
Web End [email protected] [email protected]
Received: 2013-11-01Accepted: 2014-06-10Accepted after two revisions by the editors of...