It is a quiet Sunday morning in July 2019. The sun shines through the window, and while the coffee machine quietly hums in the background, I still groggily shuffle into the dining room, grab a bowl of muesli, and settle down at the breakfast table. My father, already in an overly good mood and always an early riser, reads the latest issue of a vocational training magazine while his steaming coffee sits next to a salami sandwich.
My gaze is drawn to a headline on page 1 of the newspaper: “Business Intelligence (BI) – Shaping the Future.” Normally, my mind automatically filters out most of the boring topics in my parents’ relevant educational publications, but in this case, I become curious. Business Intelligence – what is that supposed to be? “If there’s a term for someone managing their business intelligently, is there also ‘Business Brainlessness’?” I ask the three-day beard behind page 3 somewhat provocatively. “Good morning first. I hope you rested comfortably during the last eleven hours,” it grumbles across the breakfast table while the front page is searched for the cause of the idealistic business student’s unqualified comment.
“Oh, you mean the article about Business Intelligence. Yes, my dear, that will occupy you greatly too. Yet the principle is quite simple – one could almost say trivial.” Staring incredulously, I stir my muesli. “Nothing you deal with daily at vocational school have I ever perceived as ‘trivial’!” I have already attended numerous Sunday lectures by my father, admittedly a very good teacher at the local Peter-Hebel Vocational School, as an overwhelmed audience member. And almost always, I was left with a big question mark.
“Business Intelligence encompasses the technologies and strategies that companies use to analyze data and gain insights from these analyses that contribute to decision-making. So, essentially: prepare data, see and recognize, act. It’s not really crazy, is it?”
IS THIS REALLY SO CRUCIAL FOR COMPANIES?
It was clear again that someone would come up with an insane title for a rather straightforward principle. My father, for once, agrees at this point and explains that in today’s data-driven world, Business Intelligence is just as crucial for the competitiveness of companies as professional education and training within companies. “Through Business Intelligence, companies can identify patterns and trends in their data, which helps them act proactively, minimize risks, and drive innovation. Without such insights, many decisions would be based solely on assumptions.”
WHAT IS LEARNING OPTIMIZATION?
As I finish the last remnants of my muesli, our conversation shifts from the business world to corporate training. This is usually unavoidable with my father. He is a master at ultimately steering any topic towards corporate education & training. That’s just his nature – presumably, he wouldn’t have become a vocational school teacher who deals with this exact subject area daily otherwise. “Similar to universities, companies can use Business Intelligence for decisions regarding their product or sales strategy and simultaneously optimize the learning process in employee training. Drawing conclusions for the future from past data is always a good idea!” my father begins. “In the context of employee training in companies, this is referred to as ‘learning optimization.’ If I realize that my annual training budget has been exceeded many times over, but the content is indispensable due to regulatory audits, I can devise a concept on how best to reconcile both poles – for example, through DIGITAL EMPLOYEE TRAINING. Of course, I first have to recognize that.” Too much information at once for me on a Sunday morning.
“So that I understand correctly: By using data analytics, companies can understand which training methods are most effective, how employees react to specific training tasks, and which areas need improvement?” “Exactly, and various tools such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) allow tracking employee progress, creating personalized learning paths for each individual, and even predicting which employees might need additional support. Provided, of course, that such systems not only exist in theory but are firmly embedded in daily operations and genuinely fed with reliable data. But even if you can ensure that, you still face the challenge that very large amounts of data must also be interpreted correctly and that data protection, of course, receives attention.”
HOW DO YOU BRING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AND LEARNING OPTIMIZATION TOGETHER?
My father, now fully in teacher mode, explains how Business Intelligence can be specifically applied in corporate training: “But just consider the potential inherent in this topic. Imagine, through the analysis of performance evaluations and learning behavior, trainers could see which topics are most difficult for employees and adjust their training plans accordingly. Business Intelligence makes this possible! Personalized learning environments can be created that adapt to the needs of each individual employee. If appropriate analytical tools are used, learning gaps that learners are not even aware of can be identified, and you can react to them before they become entrenched. That’s brilliant, isn’t it?”
WHAT CHALLENGES EXIST WHEN USING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE?
I remain silent for a few minutes and enjoy the break my father grants me. Honestly now: No one can handle that anymore. If you consider how much data each of us produces daily – whether privately or at work. How much data must then accumulate in a corporation? And above all: From a data protection perspective, it feels like you can’t do anything anymore anyway? How is that supposed to integrate? As I, blinded by the sun, gulp down my orange juice, my counterpart unconsciously picks up on my thoughts. “Of course, it’s not all that simple with Business Intelligence, especially concerning data protection. The companies concerned must be extremely careful about how they use personal data. It’s a tightrope walk between useful analysis and protecting employee privacy.”
Every time personal data of employees is collected within the scope of Business Intelligence, the company must ensure that this information is handled securely and in compliance with legal data protection regulations. You really need robust security systems and clear guidelines on who can access data and for what purpose.” I’m just imagining myself sitting in an office ten years from now, clicking away 46 cookie pop-ups every time I log into the company’s internal intranet. A bizarre thought, but presumably, as is often the case, there are experts who can handle this better than my still sleepy mind can imagine on a Sunday morning.
As we clear our cups and breakfast comes to an end, my thoughts are already on the upcoming term paper. The conversation helped me and made me curious about the world of Business Intelligence. After half an hour of deliberation, I decide: This will be the topic of my term paper. Because on one thing, I agree 100% with my father: The topic probably has extreme potential in most companies!
FIVE YEARS LATER
Well – and so today I sit at SWISSTEACH AG, advising our clients on the topic of education & training for their personnel and realize every day that my father was probably right that Sunday morning: Utilizing Business Intelligence for corporate education & training has kept me extremely busy over the past few years. And there’s no end in sight. Somehow, very good news!