Investigating Factors that Influence the Adoption of BI Systems by End Users in the Mining Industry in Southern Africa

Abstract

In an information society, information has become one of the most valuable asserts to an organisation. This is even more important in the mining industry in Africa where production lines are highly sensitive and decision makers are dependable on correct information to make decisions. One of the systems that can provide for the information needs of an organisation - Business Intelligence (BI) systems - unfortunately has a high failure rate. Some of the reasons can be attributed to technical issues (such as data structures, data warehouses), process issues (information retrieval processes and analysis), human issues (resistance to adoption) and the complex nature of BI. This qualitative study investigated the adoption of BI systems by end users by considering the work environment and user empowerment as suggested by Kim and Gupta [1]. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews considering both aspects of the work environment and user empowerment. The findings of the study suggested that a strong bureaucratic culture and strict safety regulatory requirements inhibits job autonomy. Job autonomy in return has a negative impact on the willingness of end users to create their own BI reports. Poor management support and a lack of training in the utilisation of BI systems furthermore make it difficult for the ageing workforce to use all the advanced features of the BI systems and capabilities. Finally, end users felt a lack of empowerment to make business decisions and therefor lack motivation to use the system.