Digital transformation expert Mark Schrutt reveals how the world’s top companies are using vast amounts of data to inform their decisions, disrupt industries, and get closer to their customers. Businesses that continue to rely only on intuition do so at their peril.

What if you had the data you always wanted and could tell what was truly an emerging trend that would forever change your industry? Shifting the Balance analyzes the turn towards data-driven decision-making and describes how best-in-class organizations use data to shift their field of vision so it is forward-looking instead of reactive. Case studies with practical examples of how leading businesses address key challenges on the path to becoming data-driven include:

• How companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Land O’Lakes, whose industries are defined by resellers, are connecting directly with their customers to improve satisfaction and relevancy
• How data-driven decision-making shaped the largest one-sided deal in sports, paying the owners of a team that did not play a game for 40 years over $800 million
• How companies such as Peloton and UberEats are using data-driven decision-making to disrupt and reimagine the fitness and restaurant industries
• What professional sports franchises such as the Oakland A’s, Philadelphia Eagles, and Toronto Maple Leafs can teach us about using data in game-changing business decisions

Shifting the Balance offers a roadmap that will enable organizations to make better business decisions that drive even better results, and provides a fascinating read along the way.

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Mark Schrutt (Toronto, ON) is a 30-year veteran of the information technology industry. His work as vice president at the leading tech research firm IDC established Mark as one of the foremost analysts and consultants on digital transformation. He is the author of over 200 IDC industry reports.

“[A]n illuminating dive into the global datasphere.” — Publishers Weekly

“Data is the new oil, but you need to extract, process, refine, and distribute it. It is easier said than done. Shifting the Balance puts the pieces together to drive value from your data assets.” — Bill Whitelaw, CEO, Glacier Resource Innovation Group

“Mark Schrutt calls it as I have seen it working with large organizations who want to be data-driven: ‘Without direction from the top and management leading by example you will never get there.’” — Bill Morris, retired President and CEO, Accenture Canada

“Decision-making is being redesigned, from who makes decisions to what type of data to leverage, with faster speed and accuracy. If business leaders don't make this change, they will be left out and left behind. Shifting the Balance is a go-to handbook for the prescient leader willing to embrace new decision-making methods.” — Jim McDade, Chief Operating Officer, Aware360

“The business world is moving so quickly and there is little time to get up to speed. Data is the big equalizer, allowing you to go from last to first, helping to even the odds and put you in the lead. Shifting the Balance is a key source for guidance on preparing for the future.” — Tony Olvet, Group Vice President, Research, IDC