Jeanne G. Harris

Enterprise systems and ongoing process change

Enterprise systems packages have long been associated with process change. However, it was assumed that most organizations would simultaneously design and implement process change while implementing the systems. A survey of 163 organizations and detailed interviews with 28 more suggests that enterprise systems were still being implemented even among early adopters of the technology, and that process change was being undertaken on an ongoing basis. After the prerequisites of time, critical mass of functionality, and significant expenditures were taken care of, the factors most associated with achieving value from enterprise systems were integration, process optimization, and use of enterprise‐systems data in decision making.

Data to Knowledge to Results: Building an Analytic Capability

Data remains one of our most abundant yet under-utilized resources. This article provides a holistic framework that will help companies maximize this resource. It outlines the elements necessary to transform data into knowledge and then into business results. Managers must understand that human elements—strategy, skills, culture—need to be attended to in addition to technology. This article examines the experiences of over 20 companies that were successful in their data-to-knowledge efforts. It identifies the critical success factors that must be present in any data-toknowledge initiative and offers advice for companies seeking to build a robust analytic capability.

Talent and analytics: new approaches, higher ROI

Purpose – More and more, the leaders of business functions are turning for competitive insights to the massive data they can now capture. But to date, human resources departments have lagged behind the efforts of marketing, IT, CRM and other functions. The purpose of this article is to show how executives can start using data to measure and improve HRs contributions to business performance.Design/methodology/approach – The article identifies six analytical tools that HR can use to connect HR efforts to business performance. Survey results underscore the value of an analytical approach while revealing that many HR departments are heavily focused on internal measures rather than business outcomes. Each analytical tool is exemplified through case studies. A model is presented to suggest how executives can get started by focusing on five key areas.Findings – Leading companies are using six analytical tools to improve the connection between HR investments and business returns: employee databases; segmentation...

Innovation Through BYOD

Leveraging the IT innovation capabilities of employees is becoming increasingly feasible in the era of IT consumerization. Consumer IT tools, in form of tablets, smartphones, or social media, are entering organizations and are changing the way employees use technology for work. In this article, the authors decipher the term IT consumerization in more detail by providing a framework that illustrates the various perspectives of the phenomenon. They then apply the various perspectives in order to propose an IT consumerization framework that juxtaposes consumer IT with enterprise IT in its ability to lead to individual IT innovation behaviors. Using data from 486 European employees that work for large-sized companies, they are able to infer that consumer IT and the permission to use privately owned IT exert positive effects on employees’ innovation behaviors. An examination of the various perspectives supports the assumption of science and practice that BYOD strategies and the diffusion of consumer IT within organizations are beneficial for innovation. The results provide a first step in theorizing about the innovative power of IT consumerization.

Do you have what it takes to be an e‐manager?

What does it take for an executive to manage effectively in the new economy? While the explosion of Internet‐centered business has produced an unrelenting focus on e‐commerce strategies, new business models, and processes, surprisingly little attention has been paid to how e‐business is changing the competencies needed to manage effectively in this new business environment. The authors describe the findings of research by the Accenture Institute for Strategic Change to discover the unique competencies that managers need to excel in the new economy. While some management competencies have changed little, research shows that e‐managers need to develop new or stronger competencies in six key areas: fast decision making; partnering; knowing the technology; staying focused in spite of information overload; making sense of the future; and attracting and retaining talent.

Developing analytical leadership

Purpose – This paper aims to set out key steps in the development, engagement and retention of analytical leaders, showing why they are such a core resource, highlighting the key types of analytical talent and focusing on the core skills needed to attain analytical proficiency.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a comprehensive survey of 799 analytical professionals employed by large US companies across a range of industries carried out in July 2008, as well as on the book Analytics at Work by Thomas Davenport, Jeanne Harris and Robert Morison, which was published in 2010.Findings – The research identified the core skills requirements for each of the four main types of analytical talent, highlighting the skill set needed by analytical leaders. Where developing and retaining this vital resource is concerned, it was found that analysts who understood their roles were six times more likely to be engaged than those who did not.Practical implications – Organizations need to take steps to dev...

Leading the way towards better business insights

Purpose – This paper seeks to present a best practice guide to using analytics as a tool for leaders at every organizational level to drive their companies towards better decision making.Design/methodology/approach – The piece is based on the book Analytics at Work by Thomas Davenport, Jeanne Harris and Robert Morison, which was published in 2010.Findings – Accenture research shows conclusively that high‐performing businesses have a much more developed analytical orientation than other organizations. In fact they are five times more likely than their competitors to view analytical capabilities as being core to the business.Practical implications – Senior executives are playing a crucial role in moving their organizations towards analytical decision making. Experience shows that, if leaders support analytical initiatives, they are much more likely to succeed. This is partly because of the powerful influence they exert over business culture, and partly because they can deploy the people, money and time need...