Fixing 'decision deficit disorder'

By Raghu Santanam Chairman, Department of Information Systems  

In a KnowIT blog post about five years back we featured Tom Davenport’s opinions on what he termed the “decision deficit disorder." The essence of his recommendation was to train ourselves to have the courage to follow the story narrated in evidence and data — even when it is contrary to our intuitions. We have followed up on this recommendation in our own programs over the last five years.

We started a new master’s program (MS-BA) that is training graduate business students to be the leaders in developing organizational cultures infused with decision-making rooted in data analytics. Our Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) curriculum has made several changes to emphasize evidence-based decision making even more, and is preparing IT managers to appreciate the innovations in data-rich IT environments that are transforming value-chain activities. We have also introduced a data analytics program at the undergraduate level to train the next generation of business analysts who can deliver data-driven insights to leadership teams. Our new faculty hires featured in this issue of KnowIT further deepen our expertise in this area; they will enrich student learning and outcomes in our department.

Our students are learning that organizations need multiple sources of intervention to get better at decision-making. These interventions include the curation and creation of data repositories for cross functional analytics, recognition of decision biases, recommendation and communication of business process changes and the establishment of an iterative process for decision analytics.

We are training our undergraduate and graduate students to develop the ability to narrate the stories inherent in data and trends, and influence their peers and managers. Employers are increasingly seeking multi-pronged talent in their tech-savvy workforce who can consume and interpret results obtained from data analytics, recognize patterns in data and models, recommend actions and implement necessary organizational changes. We continue to make innovations in our delivery methods and technology platforms to ensure that our students get an immersive experience, and become the exemplar corporate citizens that contribute to the continuous renewal of data analytics culture at the enterprise level.