Date of Conferral
1-1-2011
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Management
Advisor
Walter McCollum
Abstract
Business intelligence (BI) involves transforming data into actionable information to make better business decisions that may help improve operations. Although businesses have experienced success with BI, how leaders of church organizations might be able to exploit the advantages of BI in church organizations remains largely unexplored. The purpose of the phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of pastoral leaders concerning the potential usefulness of BI in church organizations. Conceptual support for the study was based on the premise that churches may also benefit from BI that helps improve decision making and organizational performance. Three research questions were used to examine the current role of BI in church organizations, the potential usefulness of BI in church organizations, and potential conflicts that might exist between spiritual and BI management objectives. Semistructured interviews were used to obtain data from 20 pastoral leaders. The data were analyzed using the modified Van Kaam method of analysis. The results indicated that pastoral leaders perceived that BI can be a useful technology in church organizations. Additionally, the pastoral leaders did not perceive any conflict between BI and church management objectives. Church leaders may be able to take advantage of BI to achieve their social outreach programs. As a result, local churches can have a greater social impact on the surrounding communities.
Recommended Citation
Felder, Charmaine, "The Potential Role of Business Intelligence in Church Organizations" (2011). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 1030.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1030
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Databases and Information Systems Commons, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons
