Big Data, Big Innovation by Evan Stubbs

Author:Evan Stubbs [Stubbs, Evan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-07-07T12:01:48+00:00

O r G A N I z A T I O N A l D e s I G N   ◂ 107

will resist having to pay to do things differently. If this approach isn’t

supported by a corresponding culture, the group runs a very real risk

of self-optimizing and only working with those business units that are

most willing to pay, undermining the whole point of an enterprise

approach to business analytics.

WHAT SHOULD IT FOCUS ON?

Embedding analysts in business units is a valid option. For one, it’s

easy—it doesn’t require any broader strategy. Just hire the person and

set her to work.

Unfortunately, it does little to help with the trends discussed in

Chapter 2. While it does allow a great deal of flexibility, it does little to

encourage reuse, human capital development, or economies of scale

and scope. Left alone without management support or a mandate to

work otherwise, people will normally work independently.

The rise of ro¯nin will eventually force most organizations to

think about trying to centralize and reuse their analytical capabi lities.

Technology is infinitely reproducible; people are not. That’s not to

say that embedded analysts are a bad thing. As a hiring model, it’s an

excellent augmentation to centralized approaches. There just aren’t

enough analysts in the market to realize every opportunity through

continually hiring new people.

The decision to set up a central group (in some form) is a logical

conclusion. It does, however, inevitably lead to the question of what it

should focus on. Every group needs a purpose.

It’s helpful to consider a shared group’s function along three lines:

(1) They can help build knowledge; (2) they can help deliver; or (3) they

can help transform the organization. Organizations that decide to cen-

tralize their capabilities often call the result Communities of Practice,

Competency Centers, or Centers of Excellence.

It’s important to recognize that these definitions aren’t absolute;

you say tom a to, I say tom ah to. Definitions vary and, as yet, standard names do not exist. They’re used here to highlight how structure

and focus can vary even when there’s a defined departmental or

enterprise-wide capability.

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