Data democratization: toward a deeper understanding

Abstract

Owing to a lack of access and skill, most of the data that companies are creating today is unused, even though it is widely viewed as a strategic asset. To overcome this obstacle, enterprises are establishing data democratization initiatives that can empower employees to use data and extract additional business value from them. However, IS research on data democratization has been scarce and has yet to explain how companies build their data democratization capability. Leveraging a multiple case study involving eight companies, we identify five enablers of data democratization: (1) Broader data access, (2) Self-service analytics tools, (3) Development of data and analytics skills, (4) Collaboration and knowledge sharing, and (5) Promotion of data value. As academic contribution, our findings clarify the concept of data democratization and shed light on the differences between traditional and born-digital companies. For practitioners, our study delivers actionable insights to tailor their data democratization initiatives.

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