Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning
Using data to obtain a specific competitive advantage.
Author(s): Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Date of publication: 2007
Manageris opinion
Die-hard intuition fans should look elsewhere, because the credo of this book is management by the numbers. In an era where computers are used to store and utilize hitherto unfathomable volumes of information, companies, according to the authors, now have a remarkable growth driver.
Readers cannot help but be convinced by the catalog of examples proposed by the author, in chapters 4 and 5: Dell, Anheuser-Busch, John Deere, not to mention the New England Patriots football team.
One of the key messages of the book is that data must be used to obtain a specific competitive advantage that is consistent with the overall company strategy. The implications of this message are analyzed in detail in chapters 2, 3 and 6, citing Harrah’s and Marriott as examples.
Managerial issues linked to the implementation of an analytical strategy are explored in chapters 7 and 8, with practical tips to facilitate cooperation between data processing specialists and non-specialists, based on cases such as Progressive Insurance and vertex Pharmaceuticals.
You will never look at your data the same way again.
