From Data to Decisions: Decisive Factors Influencing Swedish IT SMEs Adoption of Business Intelligence Systems

Abstract: Research Question: Which are the decisive factors that impact the adoption of business intelligence systems (BIS) among IT SMEs in Sweden? Purpose: This paper aims to examine Swedish SMEs and understand which decisive factors have an impact on the decision makers and their adoption of BIS. This study aims to study SMEs that have already adopted BIS. Method: A deductive qualitative approach was used to answer the study’s research question. The primary data was conducted through seven semi-structured interviews with Swedish IT SMEs. Empirical Findings: The empirical findings highlight that some factors had a greater influence on the adoption of BIS than others. These were possession of the right type of data, support of top management and service provider support. Conclusion: The presented study identified that small and medium sized enterprises are prone to BIS adoption when considering three decisive factors. First, the importance of possessing data and having the right type of data was a critical need and a factor for BIS adoption. Second, the use of service provider support for SMEs seemed to contribute with important value according to the findings. Third, working proactively with change management affected the perceived usefulness of technology and led to a higher chance of small and medium sized adopting BIS.