People in the UAE feel overwhelmed by the amount of data available to them when making critical decisions at work, according to a new study by Oracle NetSuite. The study, which includes insights from 2,000 people across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Nordics and Middle East, found that while people believe they have the data to be successful, they are overwhelmed by data quantity and some plan to turn to a robot or machine to assist in the decision-making process during the next 12 months.
“UAE businesses have worked tirelessly to get back on a sustained path to recovery and growth,” said Hossam Refaat, Senior Sales Director, MEA, Oracle NetSuite. “But equally some have struggled, and it is evident that the businesses which acknowledge they have a difficult relationship with data are also the least optimistic and expectant of growth. With challenges and opportunities still on the horizon, the businesses that prioritise objective, data-led decision-making and properly equip their employees with relevant and digestible insights will be best-placed to thrive.”
Despite believing they have the appropriate data, almost all UAE employees taking part in the study felt overwhelmed by the amount of data available when making critical decisions. The study further found that:
A growing culture of ‘gut feel’ decision-making is negatively impacting revenue and how connected employees feel to their organisation’s strategy and success, as the study found that:
- The number of UAE employees that believe their organisation has become more data-driven in the past 12 months has decreased. Only 42% of employees believe their organisation became more data-driven in the last 12 months, compared to 52% in the previous 12 months
- The number of organisations relying on intuition and gut feel to make critical business decisions has slightly increased (36% to 37%) in the last 12 months
- Only 28% of employees believe their organisation is highly data-driven when it comes to developing organisational strategy
Organisations that are ‘data unaware’ when building strategy are paying the price.
Methodology
For this study, NetSuite partnered with Opinium Research to survey 2,000 manager level and above employees. This research was conducted as a follow up to last year’s Unlocking Growth report. The respondents represented small and mid-sized organisations across industries including retail, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, software and technology, professional services and advertising, media and publishing.
Click below to share this article