Organizational Culture and the Three V’s of Big Data

Much of the existing research on Big Data has largely concentrated on the technical challenges related with gathering and analysis of Big Data. These studies have seldom discussed the role of organizational culture in Big Data initiatives. Thus, relatively little is known about how organizational culture may impede or enhance an organization’s ability to gain advantage from these data. Given that the notion of Big Data has been defined in terms of three key (or V’s) attributes (i.e., volume, variety, and velocity), it is important to examine how organizational culture influences Big Data attributes. Therefore, to establish a clear understanding between culture and Big Data attributes, this study presents a framework that links organizational culture to the three V’s of Big Data. This study argues that not all organizations, due to their varying cultural orientation, emphasize the importance of data volume, data variety, and data velocity. Further, the proposed framework suggests that organizations with a flexible structure and an external focus are likely to have a positive impact on the three V’s of Big Data thereby increasing their chances of deriving maximum benefits from Big Data projects