Simon Ph. The Visual Organization: Data Visualization, Big Data, and the Quest for Better Decisions

Wiley, 2014. — 240 p. — ISBN 9781118794388, ASIN 1118794389.The era of Big Data as arrived, and most organizations are woefully unprepared. Slowly, many are discovering that stalwarts like Excel spreadsheets, KPIs, standard reports, and even traditional business intelligence tools aren't sufficient. These old standbys can't begin to handle today's increasing streams, volumes, and types of data.
Amidst all of the chaos, though, a new type of organization is emerging.
In The Visual Organization, award-winning author and technology expert Phil Simon looks at how an increasingly number of organizations are embracing new dataviz tools and, more important, a new mind-set based upon data discovery and exploration. Simon adroitly shows how Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other tech heavyweights use powerful data visualization tools to garner fascinating insights into their businesses. But make no mistake: these companies are hardly alone. Organizations of all types, industries, sizes are representing their data in new and amazing ways. As a result, they are asking better questions and making better business decisions.
Rife with real-world examples and case studies, The Visual Organization is a full-color tour-de-force.
Phil Simon is a sought-after speaker and the award-winning author of eight books, most recently Analytics: The Agile Way. His contributions have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and many other sites. He is also a technology and analytics professor at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. A recognized technology expert, he advises organizations on issues related to communications, strategy, data, analytics, and platforms.Book Overview and Background
Introduction
Adventures in Twitter Data Discovery
Contemporary Dataviz 101Book OverviewNext Notes
The Ascent of the Visual Organization
The Rise of Big Data
Open Data
The Burgeoning Data Ecosystem
The New Web: Visual, Semantic, and API-Driven
Better Data Tools
Greater Organizational Transparency
The Copycat Economy: Monkey See, Monkey Do
Data Journalism and the Nate Silver Effect
Digital Man
NextTransforming Data into Insights: The Tools
Dataviz: Part of an Intelligent and Holistic Strategy
The Tyranny of Terminology: Dataviz, BI, Reporting, Analytics, and KPIs
Do Visual Organizations Eschew All Tried-and-True Reporting Tools?
The Dataviz Fab Five
Best-of-Breed Application
Popular Open-Source Tools
Design Firms
Startups, Web Services, and Additional Resources
The Final Word: One Size Doesn't Fit All
NextIntroducing the Visual Organization
The Quintessential Visual Organization
Netflix 1.0: Upsetting the Applecart
Netflix 2.0: Self-Cannibalization
Dataviz: Part of a Holistic Big Data Strategy
Dataviz: Imbued in the Netflix Culture
Lessons
NextDataviz in the DNA
The Beginnings
UX Is Paramount
The Plumbing
Lessons
NextTransparency in TexasEarly Dataviz Efforts
Embracing Traditional BI
Data Discover
Results
Lessons
NextGetting Started: Becoming a Visual Organization
The Four-Level Visual Organization Framework
Big Disclaimers
A Simple Model
Regression: Reversion to Lower Levels
Complements, Not Substitutes
Accumulated Advantage
The Limits of Lower Levels
Relativity and Sublevels
Should Every Organization Aspire to Level 4?
Next
WWVOD?
Visualizing the Impact of a Reorg
A Marketing Example
NextBuilding the Visual Organization
Data Tips and Best Practices
Design Tips and Best Practices
Technology Tips and Best Practices
Management Tips and Best Practices
NextThe Inhibitors: Mistakes, Myths, and Challenges
Mistakes
Myths
Challenges
NextConclusion and the Future of Dataviz
Coda: We're Just Getting Started
Four Critical Data-Centric Trends
Final Thoughts: Nothing Stops This TrainAfterword: My Life in Data
Appendix: Supplemental Dataviz Resources
Selected Bibliography