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Make Better Business Decisions by Training Employees on Big Data Featured

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Businesses have never had massive amounts of data at their disposal as they do now. It all originates from customer transactions, social media interactions, information systems, and supplier data among others. This volume is only going to grow with the advancements in technology and the increasing use of computing devices and digital platforms. If harnessed properly, this vast data, called big data, can be useful in planning and decision-making. Organizations of any type can gain value in big data and analytics and most employees believe that data is a critical asset for their businesses.

While many organizations focus on using big data for market-oriented moves, it can be used for another critical purpose, company training. Although many employees understand that data that is collected by their companies can play a crucial role in the future of organizations, most of them do not know what to do with large amounts of data they collect. Some are not even trying to find out the importance of their data. Such findings can only be blamed on their lack of knowledge on how data can be used to the advantage of the employees and organization. Accenture in their survey found out that only 25% of respondents feel prepared to use data, while 37% believe that their decisions can be better with the help of big data. A whopping 74% stated that they are overwhelmed when working with data. Lack of knowledge about how to use data and the addition of data into the daily workload of employees is reported to be among the leading causes why most of them take at least one sick day due to stress.

Less stress

Lack of preparedness and stress about data reduces productivity and does not go down well for organizations that seek to use data in decision making. The bottom line is that if employees are adequately trained on big data, it can help organizations in decision making, planning and make their work simpler. The only way these aspects can be achieved is by building a data-literate workforce that is capable of converting data they gather into an essential resource that can be used to make informed business decisions. To achieve this, organizations need to:

Set expectations on data use

To begin with, the organization needs to understand the data at its disposal, what they would like to do with it and why they need it. Once these factors have been identified, it becomes easy to come up with a model within the organization on the uses of data by different categories of people since different individuals have different needs when it comes to data. Therefore, helping employees understand their roles can reduce stress that is causing lots of problems already.

Build a blueprint for your data goals

Implementing big data analytics in an organization is not an easy task. It requires clearly stating where the organization is before coming up with goals that need to be achieved. Sadly, some business leaders overestimate the readiness of their workforce and the capabilities of their employees when it comes to using data. This has resulted in mistakes that are caused by the failure to define the needs of the users and tools needed to support them. Building a data blueprint allows identification of these critical aspects.

Get the right tools for every job

Ensure that every employee has the software, skills, and platforms they need to make use of data in a given role. As stated earlier, each role or group of people have different data needs. As such, be sure to arm each individual with what they require to work well. This will enhance their ability to meet business goals and at the same time, boost their confidence levels. In addition, ensure that training is an ongoing process to enable employees to evolve with time and succeed despite the changes that occur in the workplace environment.

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Scott Koegler

Scott Koegler is Executive Editor for Big Data & Analytics Tech Brief

scottkoegler.me/

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