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The intelligent enterprise
Creating a culture of speedy and efficient decision-making
A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit Sponsored by CSC and Oracle
The intelligent enterprise
Creating a culture of speedy and efficient decision-making
© Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2009
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Preface
The intelligent enterprise: creating a culture of speedy and efficient decision-making
is an Economist Intelligence Unit report sponsored by CSC and Oracle. The Economist Intelligence Unit bears soleresponsibility for this report. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s editorial team conducted the interviewsand wrote the report. The findings and views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the sponsor. Rob Garretson was the author of the report, and Debra D’Agostino was the editor. MikeKenny was responsible for layout and design. Our thanks are due to all of the executives who respondedto the survey.December 2009
© Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2009
The intelligent enterprise
Creating a culture of speedy and efficient decision-making2
Executive summary
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n virtually every industry, success hinges not only on traditional competitive advantages such as adominant market position, geographical penetration, or even proprietary technology. It also dependson the ability to improve business operations by making rapid, high-quality decisions based on the most timely, relevant and accurate information. An Economist Intelligence Unit global survey of more than200 senior executives across a wide range of industries conducted in July and August 2009 found that accurate and timely decision-making ranked on a par with superior executive leadership and innovationas vital ways of creating competitive advantage. Yet this endeavour is more easily grasped in theory thanin practice. Only 3% of respondents describe their companies as “experts” in using business data to drivebetter decisions, and only 27% agree that their company makes better, faster business decisions thantheir main competitors.Business performance is increasingly dependent on a firm’s agility and its ability to generate insightsregarding the business environment and the consequences of alternative actions. Companies that do thisare more adaptable to market changes and thus have a better chance of gaining market share from theircompetitors.The Economist Intelligence Unit survey polled business decision-makers from North America, WesternEurope and Asia-Pacific across a wide range of industries and company sizes. Among the key findings:
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Decision-making is accelerating, and becoming centralised in the C-suite, rather than being pushedout to regions or business units.
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Despite the wide recognition that accurate and timely decision-making is crucial, most firms’ ability tomake good decisions needs improvement.
About the survey
This survey included 208 respondents, 21% of whomwere CEOs, presidents or managing directors, 45%held other C-level titles, and 23% were senior vice-presidents, vice-presidents or directors. Thirty-eight percent of respondents were located in North America,27% in Western Europe and 23% in Asia-Pacific, while29% worked at companies with annual revenue of US$10bn or more and 31% of respondents worked at companies with annual revenue of US$500m or less.
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