Confronted with a myriad of data, decision-makers sometimes find themselves helpless in the face of such a mass of information, no longer knowing which way to turn. A form of “decisional paralysis” likely to hinder the smooth running of the company.
The abundance of goods does no harm. At least in theory. An adage at odds with the sentiment which has, it seems, already crossed 71% of managers in France, according to a study carried out by the data specialistOracleand entitled “Decision Dilemma”. Thus, more than one in three decision-makers believe that the considerable volume of data made available to them has completely prevented them from making decisions. Worse, 87% of them think that the growing profusion of sources alters the success of their company.
Let's discover the point of view of several managers including the founder of Cleany, Alexandre Bellity but also the Strategy Director Oracle HR Solutions and GDPR Practice Director atNodya Group and Vice-President of the associationX-Sursaut.
Prisoner of data
“We may have the feeling, at first glance, that it is the lack of information that can lead to what we call “ "decisional paralysis", but in reality, it is the too great abundance of information which leads to this", confirms Sylvain Letourmy, Director of HR Solutions Strategy at Oracle. A situation which is of concern and which can lead the manager to find himself a “prisoner” of the data. And in fact, depend only on data to make your decisions, leaving your instinct and intuitions on the sidelines.
Because, in fact, the information is intended to support or even comfort the manager. Provided you have first-rate “raw material”. “The decision maker must separate, segment and prioritize. But many of them accumulate data, telling themselves that perhaps one day they will need it. This is not a good strategy. The manager must have accurate and up-to-date information,” explains Fabienne Marquet, GDPR Practice Director atNodya Group and Vice-President of theX-Sursaut.
Fight against the overabundance of information
For the specialist, the manager must set two distinct courses: one disciplinary with a rigorous personal methodology and the other regulatory via the GDPR (general data protection regulations) which governs the processing of personal data in the territory of the European Union. “In this context, you are obliged to map all data processing in the company but also to draw up records of data processing. You should not have more data than you can process. However, if there is a surplus, it is because there is a method error.” “Data mining is one of the antidotes to paralysis,” adds Sylvain Letourmy, from Oracle.Alexandre Bellity, founder of the start-upCleany, a cleaning company aiming to restore the image of this profession is full of this sense and admits to being particularly fond of data in its daily professional life “subject to prior sorting of the information”. And he continues his reasoning: “Finding data and knowing how to use it wisely is a considerable asset.”
“But to activate the right data at the right time, you must not stay locked in your ivory tower but get help from the right people and/or tools.” The one who is at the head of nearly 500 employees confides that he has developed his own business data management tool within his entity and has recruited his first Data Scientist in 2018.
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Car l’un des autres enseignements majeurs de l’étude « Decision Dilemna » réside dans le fait, qu’aux yeux de 70 % des dirigeants français, la majorité des données disponibles ne sont vraiment utiles que pour les experts en données (Data scientists ou professionnels de l’IT) en mesure de les interpréter et de les exploiter. « Je suis assez sidéré par cette statistique », confie Alexandre Bellity. Un « déchargement » stricto sensu de l’information du dirigeant vers le Consultant Data semble néanmoins s’avérer quelque peu périlleux, celui-ci ayant vocation à accompagner le dirigeant dans sa prise de décision, et non la prendre à sa place.
The opportunity for Fabienne Marquet to clearly define the scope of intervention of said Data Consultant. “It is intended to facilitate the manager’s decision-making. Its job is to process data so that the manager is able, via a reporting and visualization tool, to make up-to-the-minute decisions.” And Alexandre Bellity concludes. “If well-framed and “bordered” data allows a decision to be made without being interpretive and subjective, it is in no way a palliative for management and human investment”.
Article written by Samir Hamladji from Echos Management
