By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    data science anayst
    Growing Demand for Data Science & Data Analyst Roles
    6 Min Read
    predictive analytics in dropshipping
    Predictive Analytics Helps New Dropshipping Businesses Thrive
    12 Min Read
    data-driven approach in healthcare
    The Importance of Data-Driven Approaches to Improving Healthcare in Rural Areas
    6 Min Read
    analytics for tax compliance
    Analytics Changes the Calculus of Business Tax Compliance
    8 Min Read
    big data analytics in gaming
    The Role of Big Data Analytics in Gaming
    10 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Stupid Analytics Gets Them Talking
Share
Notification Show More
Latest News
ai in automotive industry
AI Is Changing the Automotive Industry Forever
Artificial Intelligence
SMEs Use AI-Driven Financial Software for Greater Efficiency
Artificial Intelligence
data security in big data age
6 Reasons to Boost Data Security Plan in the Age of Big Data
Big Data
data science anayst
Growing Demand for Data Science & Data Analyst Roles
Data Science
ai software development
Key Strategies to Develop AI Software Cost-Effectively
Artificial Intelligence
Aa
SmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Uncategorized > Stupid Analytics Gets Them Talking
Uncategorized

Stupid Analytics Gets Them Talking

TedCuzzillo
Last updated: 2015/03/17 at 5:35 AM
TedCuzzillo
4 Min Read
Image
SHARE

ImageIf data analysis somehow ends up supporting an unwise choice, should we blame the data? Of course not, no more than we should blame a stethoscope for a bad medical diagnosis or fingerprints for a bad courtroom verdict. Common sense says the only ones responsible are the humans involved.

ImageIf data analysis somehow ends up supporting an unwise choice, should we blame the data? Of course not, no more than we should blame a stethoscope for a bad medical diagnosis or fingerprints for a bad courtroom verdict. Common sense says the only ones responsible are the humans involved.

AllAnalytics contributing editor James M. Connolly wrote last week in defense of common sense in a good blog post, “Analytics won’t cure stupidity.”

Let’s admit it, we know the limitations of data analysis. The obvious truth whispers to us in the quiet of our own little minds, and it often finds a voice in private business conversations over a beer or lunch.

More Read

big data improves

3 Ways Big Data Improves Leadership Within Companies

IT Is Not Analytics. Here’s Why.
Romney Invokes Analytics in Rebuke of Trump
WEF Davos 2016: Top 100 CEO bloggers
In Memoriam: Robin Fray Carey

It also finds voice in online comments, such as the string of them responding to Connolly’s post. Such conversations go around and around, perhaps failing to convince anyone. It may not do anything at all about the foolish executive who insists that data have a predetermined result. But at least some people test arguments, let others know when they’re really off, refute facts, and even make someone think again. I find what might be thought of as “campfire behavior” — known these days as collaboration and storytelling — exhausting, often annoying, but also crucial. This is where supposedly hard facts, including data analysis, assume the rightful position: subordinate to review by smart people.

Such dangerous ideas! The first comment in the string following the post sounded like a slap at Connolly himself: “This article shows you have the diplomacy and tact in handling issues from the viewpoint of a toastmaster,.” The same person commented again a few minutes later with a myopia that’s useful for close examination of data but only obstructs decision making: “You’ve given me a choice: cursing the data or cursing the stupidity. Neither. I look at the facts and draw a conclusion very carefully. I am mathematically-oriented.”

“Toastmaster” Connolly replied, “No, Judith, you don’t have to choose between data and stupidity. Just be aware that even the best data project could place the results in the hands of the very fallible human…” She replied, seeming to have missed his point again.

Others joined in. One told a story about presenting analysis to executives only to discover that they didn’t care about the analysis, they only wanted a certain conclusion. He wrote, “The endpoint was already decided.”

Another asked what if the analysts are the “stupid ones”? Still another told about the eroded trust that results from predetermined results. And another commenter wrote, “I’ve heard that technology will never truly change the world because the problem isn’t technology, it’s humans.  I guess the same could be said of analytics.”

That’s right, the problem — and the promise — is with humans.

The best remedy for stupidity is a traditional one: conversation. It’s not perfect, and often it takes a long succession of campfires ignited and exhausted before sense emerges. And sometimes the result is still stupid. But it’s always smarter than leaving everything to the data, no matter how “careful” any data analysis may have been.

TedCuzzillo March 17, 2015
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

ai in automotive industry
AI Is Changing the Automotive Industry Forever
Artificial Intelligence
SMEs Use AI-Driven Financial Software for Greater Efficiency
Artificial Intelligence
data security in big data age
6 Reasons to Boost Data Security Plan in the Age of Big Data
Big Data
data science anayst
Growing Demand for Data Science & Data Analyst Roles
Data Science

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

big data improves
Big DataJobsKnowledge ManagementUncategorized

3 Ways Big Data Improves Leadership Within Companies

6 Min Read
Image
Uncategorized

IT Is Not Analytics. Here’s Why.

7 Min Read

Romney Invokes Analytics in Rebuke of Trump

4 Min Read

WEF Davos 2016: Top 100 CEO bloggers

14 Min Read

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

ai in ecommerce
Artificial Intelligence for eCommerce: A Closer Look
Artificial Intelligence
ai is improving the safety of cars
From Bolts to Bots: How AI Is Fortifying the Automotive Industry
Artificial Intelligence

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?