The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks

While many disciplines embrace the possibilities that Big Data present for advancing scholarship and practice, organizational and management research has yet to realize Big Data’s potential. In an effort to chart this newfound territory, we briefly describe the principal drivers and key characterist...

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Main Authors: Wenzel, Ramon, Van Quaquebeke, Niels
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/82506
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author Wenzel, Ramon
Van Quaquebeke, Niels
author_facet Wenzel, Ramon
Van Quaquebeke, Niels
author_sort Wenzel, Ramon
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description While many disciplines embrace the possibilities that Big Data present for advancing scholarship and practice, organizational and management research has yet to realize Big Data’s potential. In an effort to chart this newfound territory, we briefly describe the principal drivers and key characteristics of Big Data. We then review a broad range of opportunities and risks that are related to the Big Data paradigm, the data itself, and the associated analytical methods. For each, we provide research ideas and recommendations on how to embrace the potentials or address the concerns. Our assessment shows that Big Data, as a paradigm, can be a double- edged sword, capable of significantly advancing our field but also causing backlash if not utilized properly. Our review seeks to inform individual research practices as well as a broader policy agenda in order to advance organizational and management research as a scientifically rigorous and professionally relevant field.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-825062021-07-15T06:19:31Z The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks Wenzel, Ramon Van Quaquebeke, Niels 1503 - Business and Management While many disciplines embrace the possibilities that Big Data present for advancing scholarship and practice, organizational and management research has yet to realize Big Data’s potential. In an effort to chart this newfound territory, we briefly describe the principal drivers and key characteristics of Big Data. We then review a broad range of opportunities and risks that are related to the Big Data paradigm, the data itself, and the associated analytical methods. For each, we provide research ideas and recommendations on how to embrace the potentials or address the concerns. Our assessment shows that Big Data, as a paradigm, can be a double- edged sword, capable of significantly advancing our field but also causing backlash if not utilized properly. Our review seeks to inform individual research practices as well as a broader policy agenda in order to advance organizational and management research as a scientifically rigorous and professionally relevant field. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/82506 10.1177/1094428117718627 English SAGE restricted
spellingShingle 1503 - Business and Management
Wenzel, Ramon
Van Quaquebeke, Niels
The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks
title The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks
title_full The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks
title_fullStr The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks
title_full_unstemmed The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks
title_short The Double-Edged Sword of Big Data in Organizational and Management Research: A Review of Opportunities and Risks
title_sort double-edged sword of big data in organizational and management research: a review of opportunities and risks
topic 1503 - Business and Management
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/82506