Big data analytics can be an immensely powerful tool for helping organisations
to learn about how they work. Traditionally, managers and leaders have looked to a relatively small set of key performance indicators to assess the health and
efficiency of their organisations. Digitisation has massively increased the quantity
of management information available, the resolution and frequency at which
it is captured, and the speed at which it can be processed. Data on inputs,
outputs, productivity and processes can all be captured and recalled in more
comprehensive detail than ever before.
Of course, all this information is useless unless it is used to generate insights
that leaders can act on. Fortunately, advances in analysis and visualisation tools
(interactive charts, infographics, deep zooming applications, etc.) mean it is
now feasible to bring granular and up-to-date evidence to bear on leadership
challenges. This applies across the board – from analysing and optimising the
performance of different business units, through to gathering and acting on
feedback from citizens on service delivery.
In many instances, important sources of big data for learning live outside
traditional organisational boundaries. One increasingly important source is the
information shared publicly via social media. In the business sphere, leading
organisations like Procter & Gamble use cutting-edge tools to scan for relevant
feedback and comment, which can then be sent straight to the screen of the
individuals that need to see it.9 This is agile, real-time learning at its best – and a
far cry from the traditional approach of reading and replying to pen-and-paper
correspondence and management memos as the primary source of data on how
an organisation is working.