Even when good data is available, an organization’s culture can sway managerial decision making

Analytics can tell a story–but they don’t tell the whole story. In any organization, managers need to have an awareness of personalities and politics, and that can affect the decisions they make, writes David Creelman in Talent Management and HR. Creelman’s conclusions are partly based on a study of accountants carried out by Desautels Prof. Henry Mintzberg several decades ago. Mintzberg found that managers didn’t use accounting information the way that the accountants thought they should. Many of the choices the managers were making were rooted in the weaknesses of the organization and the individuals that comprise it.