Big Data at Work
What can business leaders concretely expect from Big Data and how can them deploy it in their organization?
Author(s): Thomas H. Davenport
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Date of publication: 2014
Manageris opinion
Many business leaders are pondering what they can concretely expect from Big Data and deploy in their organization. The author addresses their concerns by adopting a simultaneously educational and operational posture. He popularizes Big Data by using simple terms to explain what it’s about and clearly describe the stakes and key success factors.
The fact that this book provides many examples from a wide variety of industries will concretely help readers imagine the added value they can derive from Big Data. Most importantly, most of these examples are drawn from companies not directly linked to the Internet, such as General Electric or UPS. The Big Data phenomenon thus seems less like the pet subject of online business, as the author convinces us that all industries will be affected more or less imminently.
The book is also very clear about the new profession of data scientist, a scarce but essential commodity. Data scientists are those who are able to talk to and be understood by technical experts, operational managers, and executives alike. The author explains how to recruit and train data scientists—and how to retain them despite the fact that they receive three to four calls from headhunters every week!
After having read this book, you will feel both convinced and equipped to tackle the topic of Big Data with your organization.
