CASE STUDY
An in-depth description of a firm’s approach to an IT management issue (intended for MBA and executive education)
Working Paper: Case Study
Microsoft Turns to Data to Drive Business Success
This paper describes Microsoft’s journey to becoming a data-driven organization and the key activities that facilitated the company’s progress.
Abstract
Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, in 2017 Microsoft was an $85 billion technology company that employed 114,000 people and operated around the globe. In 2014, Satya Nadella became CEO and accelerated the company’s transformation to a cloud services business model. The transformation inspired new attention to and capabilities around data, particularly in the areas of metrics and dashboards, analytics-powered work processes, and data science services. By 2017, 61 percent of Microsoft’s workforce was using business intelligence monthly. This working paper describes Microsoft’s journey to becoming a data-driven organization and the key activities that facilitated the company’s progress.
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About the Authors
Barbara H. Wixom, MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)
MIT CENTER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH (CISR)
Founded in 1974 and grounded in the MIT tradition of rigorous field-based research, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading dynamic, global, and information-intensive organizations. Through research, teaching, and events, the center stimulates interaction among scholars, students, and practitioners. More than seventy-five firms sponsor our work and participate in our consortium.
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