Readiness of Higher Education Institutions for Big Data

The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of readiness exhibited by higher education institutions in Turkey with regard to the integration of big data technologies in the context of expert recruitment. Big data signifies extensive and intricate datasets that surpass the capacity of conventional database systems, while big data analytics pertains to the process of deriving valuable insights from these data. In the present study, an assessment of the readiness of universities in Turkey for big data technologies was conducted across the domains of leadership, talent management, software technology, data-driven decision making and organizational culture. The data for the study were obtained through the participation of 164 IT specialists from 86 universities. The research findings indicate significant variations across three key domains: leadership and talent management in data scientists, technology in data engineers, and talent management, technology, and decision-making in business analysts. Additionally, the study identified software developers and web designers as having substantial influence on technology and decision-making dimensions. A noteworthy finding was the revelation that 94.3% of the participating universities do not employ experts in the big data engineer position. These findings underscore the necessity for universities to enhance and diversify the employment of experts in order to leverage big data technologies effectively. It can be concluded that the establishment of a balanced portfolio of experts in the field of big data analytics is imperative for the success of higher education institutions.