Big Data Experiencing Growing Pains

By

Raquel Springer-Lloyd

Simon (2013) describes big data as a very lucrative enterprise that represents an “evolution”
rather than a “eureka” moment (p.12). This assignment suggested that big data is part of the modern-
day global landscape, and the connected technology is harvested for everything from buying a burger to
paying for health insurance, transforming how we live and work. On a much broader scale, a case study
highlighted that Walmart utilized big data to forecast purchasing in a hurricane scenario, using the
information to be more prepared for what is going to happen as opposed to waiting for events to unfold
(Provost & Fawcett, 2013).

Big data also includes business analytics and is largely consumer driven and consumer oriented
that adds value to organizational leadership to improve adaptability, and better facilitate data-driven
decision-making (Chang, 2013). Business growth in big data has outpaced organizational awareness and
this has implications for organizational leaders to gain greater competency in awareness, understanding
and implementation for themselves and teams as they manage growth and innovation in an ethical way
(Jurkiewicz, 2018). This creates another factor of analysis and that includes the role of positions like the
Chief Information Officer and other similar practitioners that must create and apply tools that value data
to improve current business, establish new business, and inform and inspire others in the organization
to do the same (Galbraith, 2014).

Provost & Fawcett (2013) state that big data is layered and explain it is important to understand
the foundational principles and boundaries related to the science of data that involves extracting
knowledge and information from data to better respond to business challenges and opportunities. In
addition, some experts have added that big data is part engineering and describe one component
related to coding and processing algorithms, and another related to a prescribed worldview that is
focused on problem-solving (Alexander et al., 2011). Added to this heterogenous combination is the
element of insight that provides a resourceful competitive advantage beyond corporate organizational
development to innovatively contribute to building smart cities and pushing social change through
“datafication” (Chang, 2021).

References

Alexander, F. J., Hoisie, A., & Szalay, A. (2011). Big data. Computing in Science & Engineering, 13(06), 10-
13.

Bartlett, R. (2013). A Practitioner's Guide to Business Analytics: Using Data Analysis Tools to Improve
Your Organization’s Decision Making and Strategy. McGraw Hill Professional.
Chang, V. (2021). An ethical framework for big data and smart cities. Technological Forecasting and
Social Change, 165, 120559.

Enterprise CIO Forum. “The Three ‘...Tives’ of Business Analytics; Predictive, Prescriptive and
Descriptive.” Www.youtube.com, 16 Nov. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv2HTRWhbB4. Accessed
13 Jan. 2022.

Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Organizational design challenges resulting from big data. Journal of Organization
Design, 3(1), 2-13.

Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2018). Big data, big concerns: Ethics in the digital age. Public Integrity, 20(sup1), S46-
S59.

Provost, F., & Fawcett, T. (2013). Data science and its relationship to big data and data-driven decision
making. Big data, 1(1), 51-59.

Simon, P. (2013). Too big to ignore: the business case for big data (Vol. 72). John Wiley & Sons.