Dr. Hayfa Bu Hazzaa, DBA. Eng. & Alaa Mahjoub, M.Sc., Eng.
One of the key factors in determining whether organizations will thrive or fail in business excellence is how well they manage their information
There is a strong relationship between Enterprise Information Management (EIM) and Business Excellence (BE), which provides a vital role to enable business performance. It is important to leverage the full potential of EIM to enable BE in any organization. BE is described as outstanding practices in managing the organization and achieving results, all based on a set of fundamental concepts or values. These practices have evolved into models for how a world-class organization should operate.
The Relationship Between EIM and BE
Figure 1 depicts an integrated data model that shows the relationships between EIM, BE, and Corporate Performance Management (CPM). It comprises 3 data models: The Enterprise Information Management data model, the Business Excellence data model, and the Corporate Performance Management data model. The relationship between the BE data model and the CPM data model is a many-to-many relationship.
There are two relationships between the BE data model and the EIM data model. These relationships are highlighted in red in Figure 1:
The following sections illustrate how these relationships are used through several examples.
Figure 1: The integrated data model
Example 1
Table 1 shows the relationship between the direction criterion parts and the EIM building blocks:
In Table 1, it is worth noting that:
Table 1: The relationship between the BE direction criterion parts and the EIM building blocks
- Criteria parts 1,2 and 3 are related to setting the organization’s vision. Therefore, when setting the organization’s vision, the organization should also define an EIM program vision (the EIM vision building block) that enables the realization of the organization’s vision.
- Criterion part 4 is related to the formulation of the organization’s business strategy. Therefore, when formulating the organization’s business strategy, the organization should also formulate an EIM program strategy (the EIM strategy building block) that enables the realization of the organization’s business strategy.
- Criterion part 5 is related to the establishment of the organization’s governance. Therefore, when establishing the organization’s governance, the organization should also establish an EIM program governance (the EIM information governance, organization and role, and the information lifecycle building blocks) that aligns and integrates with the organization’s governance.
- Criterion part 5 is also related to the establishment of the organization’s performance management system. Therefore, when establishing the organization’s performance management system, the organization should also establish an EIM program performance management system (the EIM metrics building block) that aligns and integrates with the organization’s performance management system
Example 2
Table 2 shows the relationship between the parts of the execution criterion 5 (driving performance and transformation) and some relevant EIM initiatives:
- For example, the first execution criterion part (drive performance and manage risk) can be enabled through EIM initiatives such as business intelligence, real-time operational intelligence, big data analytics, corporate performance management system, data governance, risk, and compliance management system as well as record management system
Table 2: The relationship between the parts of the execution criterion 5 and some relevant EIM initiatives
Example 3
Table 3 shows the relationship between the parts of the execution criterion 3 and a relevant EIM initiative.
- A business excellence initiative intended to make the enterprise customer experience, IoT, ecosystems, intelligence, and IT systems work together by connecting all these capabilities at scale and in a manageable way through a digital business technology platform. The digital business technology platform is also shown in the third column of the table.
The digital business technology platform includes 5 sub-platforms: the information system sub-platform, the customer experience sub-platform, the IoT sub-platform, the ecosystems sub-platform, and the data & sub-analytics platform:
- A data and analytics platform contains the data management and analytics tools and application
In Table 3, it is worth noting that:
- for monitoring, optimization, control, and monetization).
- A data and analytics sub-platform provides the context for analysis and the algorithms that automate decisions and prescribe the actions that can be executed in all of the sub-platforms.
Table 3: The relationship between the parts of execution criterion 3 and the digital business excellence initiative
Additional Evidence
Recent research results suggest that Enterprise Information Management (EIM) has a positive influence on organizations’ Business Excellence (BE), both directly and indirectly. The indirect relationship is mediated through Knowledge Management (KM) and Total Quality Management (TQM) and is serially mediated via both KM and TQM respectively. Figure 2 depicts the relationship between EIM and BE.
Figure 2: The relationship between EIM and BE. H1 to H9 are the research hypothesis.
Conclusion
The current competitive business environment has brought about the need to assess the role of Enterprise Information Management in achieving sustainable Business Excellence. Decision-makers need to recognize that Enterprise Information Management plays a critical role in achieving Business Excellence. To realize its benefits, Enterprise Information Management requires a comprehensive understanding that covers all its dimensions (the framework, initiatives, and domains), as well as the proper investment and use. To achieve digital business excellence, a digital business platform might be leveraged to integrate the enterprise capabilities of customer experience, IoT, ecosystems, intelligence, and IT systems at scale and in a manageable way.
