Interaction effects of strategic decision models and business intelligence tools on knowledge generation in manufacturing firms

Nimble competitors competing in a dynamic global marketspace increasingly characterize the current business environment faced by many manufacturing organizations. These manufacturing organizations are bombarded with geometrically increasing amounts of information obtained from a variety of internal and external sources. To provide the manufacturing organization's knowledge workers with the business intelligence tools to mine this data has become the number one issue facing information systems managers. Yet implementation of these tools and the subsequent knowledge utilization remains a complex task and is portrayed as high-risk. To succeed in this environment, the manufacturing organization's knowledge workers must have more than just access to tools and business models. They must be proficient in the use of leading-edge business intelligence tools; they must understand, apply, and synthesize theoretically sound business analytical models; and they must demonstrate critical questioning skills and strategic thinking competence when applying those business analytical models.; This research study focused on investigating the potential combined impact of the knowledge worker's proficiency with business intelligence tools and with their ability to synthesize and gain understanding from business analytical models as they relate to the generation of insights gained from strategic thinking and critical questioning. Achieving superior performance and gaining competitive advantage is dependent upon the ability of the knowledge workers to gain insights into and make sense of uncertain environments. The findings from this research demonstrate that those manufacturing organizations focusing on either the tool or model component separately can increase the strategic thinking competence of the knowledge worker.; This research demonstrated that combining leading edge business intelligence tools and proven business models results in improved business insights into the competitive environment. This research found that knowledge workers can generate insights in dramatically reduced time with greater specificity of the market, product, customer, and channel. The implications of this study are important. Competitive advantage can be to manufacturing organizations able to rapidly discern their competitors' intent and to develop responses. Competitive advantage accrues to those manufacturing organizations able to uncover market niches and to develop products and services to match requirements of consumers.; This study provides manufacturing managers a logical approach to resource allocation decisions that will increase the firms' ability to develop products and services that meet and exceed customer requirements.