Analytics Magazine Analytics Magazine, January/February 2014 | Page 18

FO RUM Analytics-driven culture Left-brainers vs. right-brainers: In the Information Age, it is not wise to run a company with half a brain. Philosophically, business analysis is in its Romantic Era – an era in which analysis is applied hither and yon in a tactical swashbuckling manner. Corporations aspiring to improve their decisionmaking to become more analytics-based will want to foster a more analyticsdriven culture. BY RANDY BARTLETT 18 | “In the final analysis, the root cause of Japan’s defeat, not alone in the Battle of Midway but in the entire war, lies deep in the Japanese national character. There is an irrationality and impulsiveness about our people which results in actions that are haphazard and often contradictory.” – Mitsuo Fuchida and Masatake Okumiya [1] Business analysis dissolves in an IT culture and in other cultures too. Philosophically, business analysis is in its Romantic Era – an era in which analysis is applied hither and yon in a tactical swashbuckling manner. Corporations aspiring to improve their decision-making to become more analytics-based will want to foster a more analytics-driven culture. They should seek a culture that: 1. Rewards analytics-based decision-making as in a meritocracy. 2. Integrates analytics into their strategy. 3. Embraces the pace of dynamic change during this analytics phase of the Information Age. 4. A ccepts that understanding data analysis is part of understanding the business. 5. Fosters experimentation and continual learning about the business. A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G W W W. I N F O R M S . O R G