The Impact of Use of Big Data-Driven Systems on Decision-Makers’ Power

Modern organizations are adopting Big Data-Driven (BDD) systems to obtain and sustain their competitive advantage through improved decisions. However, the changes in the organizational decision structure and processes due to the establishment of these systems raised the question of how becoming data-driven will affect the traditional role of human decision-makers in organizations. Specifically, this research-in-progress study investigates the mechanisms through which the use of BDD systems impacts organizational decision-makers’ power. To address this research question, the study draws on the premises of the strategic contingencies theory of intra-organizational power and the literature on BDD decision-making in organizations and develops a theoretical model to be tested empirically. Ultimately, the potential contributions to theory and practice are also discussed.