The Role of Synergy in Achieving Value from Business Analytics Systems

Managers use Business Analytics (BA) systems to gain insight from organizational data to make better decisions. BA systems interact with other systems providing them with high-quality analytical and reporting tools. When the interaction between BA systems and other systems is synergistic, they create greater organizational value than the additive value of the individual systems. This study explores the enablers and mechanisms of the synergistic interaction between BA systems and other organizational systems and how the value can be realized. A research model is proposed, which explains how BA systems synergize with other organizational systems and create organizational value. The synergistic interaction of BA systems with other organizational systems gives rise to new BA-enabled organizational systems over time. The BA-enabled organizational systems have emergent properties that have the capability to create significant organizational value. The paper concludes by calling for further empirical work to evaluate and refine the research model