Business Intelligence Evangalists Help Organizations identify "what business should do next" and convince the business to do it.

We’ve had some surprising findings. We keep finding basic, low-hanging fruit — huge opportunities for the organization to increase its revenues. And some of the surprise comes from the inertia that sometimes exists within the organization when it comes to acting on these insights. But I do also see that at this time we have that critical mass, we have that executive scrutiny that is making that inertia unacceptable.

The right approach to managing up and managing down is key to building successful analytics organizations.

On managing down, it is about helping the team see the connection between the analysis they do and the actions the company takes. I find that the kind of people we hire want to know that their work is not gathering dust on some shelf, but has a real impact on the company. That is what keeps them engaged, that is why they love what they do.

On managing up, analytical leaders have to establish themselves as thought partners, not data providers to the executives. This requires investing time into thoroughly understanding your company’s business, selecting relevant analytical insights and, as much as possible, translating these insights into actionable recommendations. When I meet with regional GMs, they are not looking for a report on numbers. They’re looking for a well-thought-out set of recommendations on what their businesses should do.

Full Story: http://sloanreview.mit.edu/feature/mining-data-at-paypal-to-guide-business-strategy/

Inteneo Systems http://www.inteneosystems.com