Successful leaders rely on data not intuition, says CSUEB professor

• March 19, 2013 5:00am

California Smart Business magazine interviewed Chongqi Wu, assistant professor of management at California State University, East Bay, about the benefits of incorporating big data and analytics into the decision-making process. Business leaders often rely on intuition when making critical decisions, but according to The Economist Intelligence Unit, executives dramatically increase their chances of success when they bring facts and data into the decision-making process.

“Strategic decisions still require intuition and judgment, but injecting data analysis and modeling into the process can significantly improve the odds of success,” said Wu. “Don’t think of gut-based and fact-based decision making as competing concepts because they actually complement each other. For instance, cross-functional teams often use data to project outcomes and validate the return on proposed programs or new products.”

Read "How to use big data to make better business decisions"

Princeton Review has rated Cal State East Bay as one of the country's "Best Business Schools" for seven consecutive years.