Paper Number
ECIS2026-2367
Paper Type
CRP
Abstract
Organizations increasingly invest in business analytics to improve decision-making, yet managerial decisions in practice continue to draw on both analytical outputs and intuition. This study investigates when managers rely primarily on analytics, when they rely on intuition, and how the two are combined. We examine this phenomenon in a large South African bank pursuing a data-driven strategy. Based on thematic analysis of 15 semi-structured interviews with senior and middle managers, we identify three decision modes—data-driven, intuition-driven, and integrative—and theorize pathways for combining intuition and analytics. We further identify individual, organizational, data and infrastructure, and decision-related influences on shifts between these modes. By explaining how managers navigate between analytics and intuition across decision situations, the study contributes to research on managerial decision-making and business analytics and offers implications for fostering more effective use of analytics in organizations.
Recommended Citation
Elo, Jenny; Peters, Jayson Warren; Oosterwyk, Grant; Tsibolane, Pitso; and Watkowski, Laura, "Integrating Intuition and Analytics In Managerial Decision-Making" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 12.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/bus_analytics/bus_analytics/12
Integrating Intuition and Analytics In Managerial Decision-Making
Organizations increasingly invest in business analytics to improve decision-making, yet managerial decisions in practice continue to draw on both analytical outputs and intuition. This study investigates when managers rely primarily on analytics, when they rely on intuition, and how the two are combined. We examine this phenomenon in a large South African bank pursuing a data-driven strategy. Based on thematic analysis of 15 semi-structured interviews with senior and middle managers, we identify three decision modes—data-driven, intuition-driven, and integrative—and theorize pathways for combining intuition and analytics. We further identify individual, organizational, data and infrastructure, and decision-related influences on shifts between these modes. By explaining how managers navigate between analytics and intuition across decision situations, the study contributes to research on managerial decision-making and business analytics and offers implications for fostering more effective use of analytics in organizations.
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