The posting one month ago discussed the characteristics of DW, BI, and PM, and it mentioned a possible connection to the three top-level components of Aristotle’s modes of persuasion:
Logos,
Pathos, and
Ethos. Time to follow up with the sequel to that!
Here are the main characteristics of each mode of persuasion, listed in direction of increasing impact:
- Logos - is logical appeal. Normally used to describe facts and figures that support the speaker's topic. Since data is difficult to manipulate, logos may sway cynical listeners. Having a logos appeal also enhances ethos (below) because information makes the speaker look knowledgeable and prepared to his or her audience. However, data can be confusing and thus confuse the audience. Logos can also be misleading or inaccurate,
- Pathos - is an appeal to the audience’s emotions. It can be in the form of metaphor, simile, a passionate delivery, or even a simple claim that a matter is unjust. Pathos can be particularly powerful if used well, but most speeches do not rely solely on pathos,
- Ethos - is an appeal to the authority or honesty of the speaker. He, or she, may be a notable figure in the field in question, have a special relation to it, be demonstrably and impressively knowledgeable, or be able to plead moral and ethical integrity and superiority.
Clearly, establishing an Enterprise DW is a basic appeal to business logic. But just as traditional
logos is weak on persuasion, an EDW is by itself weak on execution on the revealed business logic, - the problem typically being that much logic is only
implied, and emphasis and prioritization may be lacking between subject areas with different importance and urgency.
Similarly, a BI initiative is about directing attention towards a particular subject area and making the members of an organization collectively
feel the importance and urgency of that relative to other issues.
Finally, formalized Performance Management is about determining and defining what is good and bad within an organization and a business, and about projecting these definitions onto actual events through KPI’s, scorecards and dashboards. Clearly, for that to work out presupposes a high degree of universal recognition and accept of those controlling a PM initiative, that is: PM by definition relies on
ethos for persuasion.
If we accept the parallel between logos-pathos-ethos and DW-BI-PM, what does that tell us about modern business intelligence. To me the central issue is the question of
balance. Ethos may be the strongest mode of persuasion, but too much ethos in a speech just produces pharisaism and self-righteousness. Pathos may also have a very strong impact, but excess pathos is the hallmark of political demagogues and business charlatans. Logos may formally be completely correct and superficially sufficient, but too strong a reliance on logos is self-defeating and may expose an inclination towards self-victimization and hindsight. A good speech should rely on all three modes of persuasion and keep a balance between them!
Today, a balance is also needed between DW, BI and PM - and modern businesses should accept that they need to develop a mixed presence of all three. A preference and a focus on just one approach is likely to be insufficient. An EDW ensures preparedness for unforeseen developments, which will certainly occur. But by itself an EDW may produce only that preparedness and very little action. BI initiatives may represent proactive actions vital to developing the business. But such initiatives need a solid foundation on data, or they may be just self-delusion. PM is essentially a reactive approach, which is necessary to control most businesses, but if applied pervasively and in too much detail, it will turn into a straightjacket that strangles innovation and forward-looking initiatives.
In conclusion then, proper management should seek to promote a balanced presence of both DW, BI and PM in the business – not to favor and choose one approach over the other two!
That’s all for now. July’s mid-month posting is likely to be just as deeply technical as this posting has been purely philosophical. Unless actual events intervene, that is, as they ever so often may do... Stay tuned here at morlin's BI blog!
