By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    construction analytics
    5 Benefits of Analytics to Manage Commercial Construction
    5 Min Read
    benefits of data analytics for financial industry
    Fascinating Changes Data Analytics Brings to Finance
    7 Min Read
    analyzing big data for its quality and value
    Use this Strategic Approach to Maximize Your Data’s Value
    6 Min Read
    data-driven seo for product pages
    6 Tips for Using Data Analytics for Product Page SEO
    11 Min Read
    big data analytics in business
    5 Ways to Utilize Data Analytics to Grow Your Business
    6 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Data – Information – Knowledge – Wisdom
Share
Notification Show More
Latest News
cloud-centric companies using network relocation
Cloud-Centric Companies Discover Benefits & Pitfalls of Network Relocation
Cloud Computing
construction analytics
5 Benefits of Analytics to Manage Commercial Construction
Analytics
database compliance guide
Four Strategies For Effective Database Compliance
Data Management
Digital Security From Weaponized AI
Fortifying Enterprise Digital Security Against Hackers Weaponizing AI
Security
DevOps on cloud
Optimizing Cost with DevOps on the Cloud
Cloud Computing Development Exclusive IT
Aa
SmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Business Intelligence > Data – Information – Knowledge – Wisdom
Business Intelligence

Data – Information – Knowledge – Wisdom

Peter James Thomas
Last updated: 2009/06/11 at 6:51 PM
Peter James Thomas
7 Min Read
SHARE
- Advertisement -

Wisdom

- Advertisement -

As is probably already apparent to regular readers of this blog, I take rather a visual approach to both understanding things and communicating them. Seldom will I leave a one-on-one meeting without having scrawled on a sheet of paper to explain my train of thought, or to ensure that I have properly understood what someone else has said; equally I tend to be an avid scribbler on flip-charts or wipe-boards during larger gatherings.

I was recently engaged in a debate about whether information was a prerequisite to knowledge; unsurprisingly I felt that it was. The discussion took place on the LinkedIn.com Business Improvement, Change Management & Turnaround group and was actually in response to one of my recent articles, “Why Business Intelligence projects fail.” This led to me thinking about the area further and, inevitably to some googling.

More Read

Founder compares his Wolfram-Alpha to Watson

Quest for knowledge
What to store in our heads?

The above path led me to an article on systems-thinking.org entitled Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom, written in 2004 by Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills. Returning to the visual theme that I introduced at the start of the article, my eyes were drawn to the following graphic (I have re-drawn this as a larger …

- Advertisement -

Wisdom

As is probably already apparent to regular readers of this blog, I take rather a visual approach to both understanding things and communicating them. Seldom will I leave a one-on-one meeting without having scrawled on a sheet of paper to explain my train of thought, or to ensure that I have properly understood what someone else has said; equally I tend to be an avid scribbler on flip-charts or wipe-boards during larger gatherings.

I was recently engaged in a debate about whether information was a prerequisite to knowledge; unsurprisingly I felt that it was. The discussion took place on the LinkedIn.com Business Improvement, Change Management & Turnaround group and was actually in response to one of my recent articles, “Why Business Intelligence projects fail.” This led to me thinking about the area further and, inevitably to some googling.

The above path led me to an article on systems-thinking.org entitled Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom, written in 2004 by Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills. Returning to the visual theme that I introduced at the start of the article, my eyes were drawn to the following graphic (I have re-drawn this as a larger version was not available on the site, but it remains the work or Messrs Bellinger, Castro and Mills):

© Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills - systems-thinking.org

- Advertisement -

© Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills – systems-thinking.org

Of course I appreciate that systems-thinking.org piece is intended to have a broad applicability. However, to me, this schematic pithily captures the fact that Business Intelligence is not just about technology and cannot be effective in isolation. To live and breath it needs to be part of a broader framework covering the questions that its users need to answer, the actions that they take based on these answers and the iterative learning that occurs in the process.

Again thinking in terms of pictures, the data to wisdom hierarchy outlined by Bellinger et al brings another image to mind, the one appearing below:

Ascent of Man

In the same way that Natural Selection offers a compelling framework for the phenomenon of Evolution, all-pervasive business intelligence can offer a compelling framework within which an organization can evolve towards collective wisdom. Of course, in the same way that Evolution does not always imply increased sophistication (just better adaptation to a particular niche), the technological part of business intelligence, in and of itself, does not guarantee an improved organization. Such an outcome is instead the product of developing an appropriate vision for how the organization will operate in the future and then working assiduously to get the organization to embrace this.

- Advertisement -

I have often spoken about the importance of incorporating BI in an organisation’s DNA. The above analogy brings a different dimension to this metaphor. Both the evolution of species and the evolution of organizations are driven by incremental changes to what makes them tick, but also by occasional great leaps forward; a concept known as punctuated equilibrium) in Evolutionary Biology. Introduction of good BI can be such a great leap forward, but hopefully without the connotation of Mao Zedong.

Returning to the original model, Data and Information may have strong technological elements (though the former certainly has more than the latter, see BI implementations are like icebergs), but Knowledge and Wisdom imply a more human angle; even in these days of automated decision-making with the results of analysis fed back into operational systems. This anthropocentric approach, in turn, raises the profile of cultural transformation in business intelligence programmes; something that my experience teaches me is crucial to their success.

These are all themes that I have written about before (e.g. in The confluence of BI and change management), but it is interesting to find a diagram that approaches the area from a different slant.

It is also helpful to learn that I am not alone in thinking that information is one of the major pillars of knowledge!
 

tweet thisTweet this article on twitter.com
Bookmark this article with:
Technorati| del.icio.us| digg| Reddit| Stumble

 

- Advertisement -

Posted in business, business intelligence, cultural transformation, technology Tagged: Anthony Mills, Durval Castro, evolution, Gene Bellinger, information, knowledge, systems-thinking.org, wisdom

TAGGED: knowledge
Peter James Thomas June 11, 2009
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share
- Advertisement -

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

cloud-centric companies using network relocation
Cloud-Centric Companies Discover Benefits & Pitfalls of Network Relocation
Cloud Computing
construction analytics
5 Benefits of Analytics to Manage Commercial Construction
Analytics
database compliance guide
Four Strategies For Effective Database Compliance
Data Management
Digital Security From Weaponized AI
Fortifying Enterprise Digital Security Against Hackers Weaponizing AI
Security

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

Founder compares his Wolfram-Alpha to Watson

4 Min Read

Quest for knowledge

3 Min Read

What to store in our heads?

10 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

giveaway chatbots
How To Get An Award Winning Giveaway Bot
Big Data Chatbots Exclusive
ai in ecommerce
Artificial Intelligence for eCommerce: A Closer Look
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Exclusive

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US

© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?