By Vivek Bhachawat
The biggest requirement of Big Data Analytics can be considered the paradigm shift required in the perspective of the Top Management of the organizations wanting to implement the same. The management has to realize that the economy has become heavily dependant on information and the work force needed for survival in such an economy has to be a knowledgeable workforce. This means that the organization has to make Analytics an active part of Strategy making, where information obtained is used to strengthen competitive position. We have seen in previous Blogs, what are the challenges that lie in the path of Big Data Analytics implementation. Today however we want to focus on what else is required for the endeavor to succeed even if the management is aware where it will source the info from, where it will use it and who will make the applications.
Yes, even if the Organization has overcome the primary challenges in the Analytics application, there are many perils that lie ahead in the path of sustained value addition and success from the implementation of Big Data Analytics. The major one being the training and conditioning required to be given to the personnel. The major source of resistance to any change, which changes the way in which work is performed, faces major resistance in every Organization. In the case of Data Analytics, employees need to learn how to make sense from the complex information that they encounter and how to best use it, to add value to the operation. The exercise of applying an analytics application would bear fruition only if it is used with dexterity by workers and staff capable of properly using the valuable information they receive.
The challenge for the management here is to manage the changes required by the analytics application along with the actual implementation of the application itself. The process has to begin from Top, with the top executives taking initiative and making the importance of the endeavor felt throughout the Organization’s hierarchy. One key activity to facilitate the change from status quo to the desired state, is the systematic description of Job Roles and Responsibilities, based on the Analytics implementation and how they would impact the remuneration, incentives and bonuses of all the employees in the Organization. The HR and Functional departments and their heads would play a key role as change agents, as they would play an active role in conditioning the employees and slowly steering them towards the use of the application or the part of application intended from them. It is very important to train the front-line employees in analytics as they represent the company at the customer end, their being knowledgeable and informed would have a great impact on the company’s bottom line. The Organization should also look for partners who not only develop tailor-made Analytics applications, but who are also capable to act as active change agents and are capable of transforming any resistance from the workforce to a thrust for the successful implementation of the application.
The road to a successful Data-analytics implementation is filled with challenges and requires careful planning both in terms of the application deliverables and the actual implementation of the same. Just a decision to purchase an application from a well-known vendor, might look like a smart move, but what you should ask yourself is- Have we done enough home-work on how and what the application should be? Is our workforce capable of using the info which will be generated through the application? Who will train the workers and what would be the time and capital required? So, if you are looking to turnaround your business with Analytics, this Blog should give you a better picture from an Organizational Perspective.