Athena or Hydra? Examining potential promises and perils of data analytics in management with a Bourdieusian frame

Beschreibung

Data analytics is of increasing interest for both practitioners as well as researchers. Several scholars explore the potential use of data analytics for enriching management and overcoming technological obstacles (George, Haas & Pentland, 2014; George, Osinga, Lavie,et al., 2016; Tonidandel, King & Cortina, 2016). Some scholars go as far as labelling the utilization of big data as revolution for management practices in organisations (Mcafee & Brynjolfsson, 2012). What is certain is that our social life, our way of doing business and conducting research is undergoing profound changes and is increasingly datafied, i.e. relying on in time data analytics(Mayer-Schönberger & Ramge, 2018; Mayer-Schönberger & Cukier, 2013). Datafication of social processes entails both promises but also perils. A major promise of data analytics is, it would allow to monitor real live behavior, process this behavior immediately and then deliver in time information which can be used for decision making. Moreover, this information is presented as objective and neutral, which makes data so valuable. Mayer-Schönberger and Ramge(2018), for instance, argue that data reduces the importance of money as money no longer needs to serve as proxy for quality or worth. Instead, the data available, such as reviews, meet this purpose. Implicitly this could signify a change in power dynamics as reviewing something is not necessarily related to economic wealth. At the same time, data analytics is hallmarked by power relations. Issues on who can define what is measured how, as well as who provides data or can protect their own privacy are power struggles. In this paper, we apply Bourdieu’s theoretical apparatus on the current state of data analytics in management. We conduct a systematic review on the state of data analytics in management and elaborate on the relational aspects and different types of capitals between those who manage and design data analytics and their imagined suppliers of data. [...]

Zeitraum	27 Juni 2019 → 29 Juni 2019
Ereignistitel	11th International Critical Management Studies Conference
Veranstaltungstyp	Keine Angaben
Bekanntheitsgrad	International