A recent Bain study suggests that  that early adopters of Big Data analytics have gained a significant lead over their competitors.  Bain studied 400+ large companies and found that those with most advanced analytics capabilities are outperforming competitors in more ways then one:  improved financial performance, faster decision-making, more effective execution, and adaptive  decisioning.

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It is often difficult to disentangle cause and effects –  companies achieved top performance in part due to advanced analytics or top performers are more likely to have an evidence-based organizational and operational DNA and leveraging analytics is just a manifestation of the underlying DNA.   But the positive correlations highlight the significant value potential of Big Data analytics stemming from improved speed and quality of decisions, and continuous refinements during execution.