When I read Freakonomics for the first time, like everyone else, I was both impressed with the conclusions and amazed with the ease at which the author had arrived at them.
What do I mean by that? If we look at it, all he did was to take large amounts of data, reliable data, and use it to inform his judgements on the issues involved. True, his skills as an interpreter of data and trends allowed him to reach truly unique conclusions - some of which many people have had a very hard time accepting - but he seemed to recognize that making definitive statements about any issue at all requires data, reliable data.
This for me is the legacy of Freakonomics, decisions based on data are difficult to refute, and change the dynamics surrounding any decision at all.
For me, the same goes for any professional organization or Enterprise. When there is an abscence of real and reliable data, then decisions are made using age old trusted techniques.
What are these? Political maneuvering, coalition building, strength of character, emotional pleas, cronyism and all of the really Machiavellian elements of management. (Most of which we have all had to participate in to some degree or another to get things done in the past)
So how can data change this? When you make decisions based on data then the entire dynamic of making decisions is changed permanently. No longer are decisions made by "he who shouts loudest", but instead they are made based on irrefutable facts. True, the interpretation of these facts is sometimes open to question, but at least the field of choice is substantially narrowed.
So for companies where ERP systems have not yet delivered on their promise, or where Business Intelligence still refers to the experienced people who are about to retire, then they still face a gigantic opportunity in terms of their ability to reduce the time to high confidence, accurate decisions about the future of their organization.
