Using data: Economic, organizational, and individual implications in the Digital Age

Digital technologies are transforming how we interact with each other and the world around us. Staggering amounts of data and new analytical tools promise improved productivity and economic growth. My proposal outlines a number of concrete ways to expand our understanding of how increased use of data may affect economic, organizational, and individual performance - and what this means for competition and prosperity.

This research pursues four related studies of the specific investments that organizations and individuals are making to become more data-driven. The first tests the hypothesis that better use of data will lead to more innovation. If so, this has important implications for competition and growth in the digital age. A second study explores the organizational context in which this digital transformation is taking – or trying to take - place. Who should have authority over what data to collect? What tasks should be digitized? How does this align with other activities within the firm? Answers to these questions will help practitioners move beyond the big-data "hype" to sound implementation decisions. The third study builds on these questions to take a broader view of other investments and changes taking place within firms over time. How should organizations sequence and coordinate technology changes with changes in processes, decision-making structures, and worker skills? The final study takes these questions to the individual level and investigates how professionals with a great deal of training and autonomy will engage with data-driven decision support tools.