When you think of Big Data, you think of companies leveraging analytics to predict consumer interests, habits, and buying histories in order to improve the way they market their products or services. However, Big Data isn’t only used externally – it can be used internally. Harnessing the limitless data your business itself generates can create better business practices and, most importantly, a strong work culture for your employees. How can a few numbers make your workers more productive, driven, and honest – as well as change the way you do business yourself?
- The Answers Will Be Logical, Not Emotional
A strong work culture calls for trust, solidarity, and belief in a vision. No employee will be able to completely commit to a job or project, and certainly won’t put in that necessary extra effort, if they believe there’s room for argument in the path being chosen. With Big Data offering detailed information on things such as employee engagement and current trends in the market, the answers and explanations you offer your employees will always be based on clear, factual logic rather than opinion. If you can prove with extensive data that changing the direction of the company or revising a project is necessary, employees will be more encouraged and able to generate creative solutions, rather than wondering if you’re right at all.
- You’ll Have Access to a Greater Talent Pool
The fact of the matter is, Big Data has taken the wind out of deciding-with-your-guts’ sails. A CEO, no matter how experienced, can’t argue with the black and white facts that data sets before them, casting away emotional and narrow-minded decisions. This has led to many bruised egos, but companies which are able to utilize the strengths of unwavering information can thrive. This means if last year’s consumer trends say your company needs to change the direction it’s going in, like by adopting converged infrastructure, a personal opinion of a manager is less valuable than the educated one of a low-level analyst with data to back them up. What does this do for strong work culture? Now you are benefitting from the brains and creativity of an entire company, rather than just its leader. This creates a sense of unity and loyalty, where the best idea is chosen simply because it’s the best idea, despite status.
- Solutions Will Be Fast and Accurate
A board meeting can last for hours upon hours when estimates and forecasts have to be discussed, and with the fast pace of the modern market, slower decisions mean being left behind by the competition. Thanks to Big Data, you can review information that is accurate and immediate, from almost any location, allowing you to share this data and formulate a decision within minutes instead of hours, with confidence that the choice was made from the most educated standpoint, inspiring confidence in your workforce as well.
- No Skeletons in the Closet
Data is data, and it doesn’t lie. By gathering information on what applications are used by which employees, and from which devices, you now have a map detailing work habits, effective practices, their speed and reliability, and more. This makes it easier for managers to ensure employees not only are equipped with the best technology they need to do well, but allows them to weed out the unproductive few. This also applies to the higher management, creating a sense of equality and allowing for honest rewards to be given to those performing well.
- Bridge the Gap Between Customer Engagement and Employee Engagement
Knowing your customer is important, but knowing the inside of your company is even more important. Big Data allows you to study the habits and trends of your employees just as closely, making adjustments to the work environment to encourage engagement, alterations to the programs and applications used to make workflow more productively, and revamped approaches to the way your employees’ requests are considered. This not only cuts out unhelpful practices, but creates a strong relationship to boost efficiency.
- Organized and Easy to Reference Answers
Big Data earned its name for a reason – new information is constantly coming in, faster than you can contain. However, just because old news is no longer relevant, it doesn’t mean it’s not valuable as a reference. Rather than getting lost in old analytics or repeating last year’s mistakes simply because of clutter, when a curveball comes your way, you can analyze past trends and habits, and predict adjustments needed to boost employee morale, improve productivity, or make the necessary cuts to keep thriving.
Image Credit: CC by Christopher Johnson
