Lessons from BI in Public Institutions
The study in this article provides reasons why BI is not fully implemented in some organizations. The thematic approach to determining why the technological tools are or are not used by managers provides an actionable set of areas where improvements can be made. One aspect that may relate to our discussions on asking the right questions is, "do managers really need to know how to use BI tools?" In many organizations, managers have enough knowledge about specialized data and tools to know how to task their specialists (BI analysts, in this case) to use them to answer their requirements. This can give analysts too much power in organizations with poor systems, whose data quality is questionable, or with authoritarian cultures where analysts fear giving the "wrong" answer. But in a highly effective environment, managers manage, and analysts analyze.
Research design and methodology
The principal researcher was in direct contact with senior managers in order to fully appreciate how they experience the work environment and their interactions with colleagues. An exploratory (interpretivist) approach was adopted in order to find out what is happening, seek new insights, and generate ideas for new research through the participants’ perspectives. Interpretivists argue that human beings are always influenced by the things that are happening in their environment and therefore react accordingly.
The research approach is inductive, involving thick descriptive data. A mixed-methods research was used, where the aim was for qualitative and quantitative techniques to supplement each other. This approach of using multiple sources of data collection increases the validity and reliability of the study. The qualitative approach draws on interpretive outcomes from interviews and an electronic survey questionnaire. The quantitative approach draws on the daily management logon statistics to the analytical tool and enables the researcher to identify and describe emerging patterns that evolve from the data. The blended approach of qualitative and quantitative techniques confirms and solidifies the results of the study. The research targeted a subset of management, namely, level 4 managers, in the selected organisation. The rationale for selecting this category of managers was that they not only manage staff but also control a budget. This means that they would be required to use analytics to inform decision-making. In addition, the benchmark provided by the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the recommended logins per month for management level 4 is higher than the other managerial levels. The total number of level 4 managerial posts currently occupied is 524.
Interviews and an electronic survey questionnaire were used to collect information from the level 4 managers of the organisation as follows:
- An electronic survey questionnaire was distributed to 524 level 4 managers spread across the directorates.
- Interviews were conducted with eight level 4 managers across the directorates.
- Daily analytics login statistics for management were used to establish the percentage of managers using SAP BI. This logon information was obtained via SAP Authorisations. A count of daily logons by management was stored and collated for further analysis.
For the purposes of ethical considerations, BI is a strategic initiative and enhances competitive advantage; hence, the need to keep the identity of the individuals and organisation participating in the study confidential was emphasised. In the same manner, the organisation which formed the empirical home of the research remains anonymous. The information obtained through this study remains strictly confidential. Confidentiality was maintained by means of anonymous inputs, that is, no names were used in the statistical data collection. Participants were informed of the purpose of the research and their consent was sought before commencement of the data collection process. They were assured of confidentiality during the data collection process. Codes were used to identify participants and the directorates of the organisation. If any participant felt uncomfortable, he or she could withdraw from the data collection process.