Big Data Baffles Most Board-Level Decision-Makers

Brunel University | Thursday, September 20, 2018

When board members in big firms make critical decisions about their organisations, it is almost always behind closed doors. So exactly how and if senior leaders draw on big data factors in their decision-making is largely unexplained. Researchers studied top-level decisions by board managers at 19 organisations in manufacturing, finance, consultancy, IT and air travel. “Our study identified a shortfall in capabilities for dealing with the challenges of big data,” said Dr Ana Canhoto at Brunel Business School. “There is a gap in the knowledge and understanding organisations need, in order to avoid the cognitive biases and overloads big data can bring.”