Business Intelligence: Competencies and Cross-Functional Integration : A Case Study at ASSA ABLOY

Abstract: Business Intelligence (BI) and data analytics has grown to become one of the most prioritized technological investments for organizations today. For BI systems to be valuable for organizations’ decision making and support of end-users, research argues that competencies of multiple areas need to be represented in the work with BI. This includes knowledge of both IT and business domains, where challenges such as lack of domain competencies have been identified in the Swedish industry sector. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate the representation of BI competencies, with focus on IT, business domain, data analytics and their integration. The research is conducted through a qualitative case study at ASSA ABLOY, a leading company in the Swedish industry sector, where interviews are made with respondents involved with five BI tools from different functions of the company. The empirical findings show that competencies of IT and business domains are represented to a higher degree than data analytics. In addition, the findings show that while integration between these areas is being promoted, there is potential for further involvement with in-house IT and a need for cross-border knowledge to bridge the gap between functions involved with BI.