Empowering academic decision-making through big data analytics: evidence from Egyptian hospitality colleges

Purpose This paper examines how BDA management capabilities influence effective decision-making processes within innovative organizational culture, serving as a mediating factor in Egyptian higher education in hospitality. In particular, it elaborates on how the four BDA dimensions (i.e. planning, decision-making, coordination, and control) cultivate innovation and enhance faculty members' strategic decision-making within higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey of 368 faculty members at 20 hospitality colleges in Egypt and analyzed using SmartPLS v.4.4 to assess measurement reliability and validity, structural relationships, and mediation. Findings Results showed that each BDA management capability positively affected innovative organizational culture and decision-making effectiveness. Further, innovative organizational culture partially mediated the effect of BDA capabilities on decision-making effectiveness. Originality/value This paper integrates the resource-based and knowledge-based views to provide a dual-theoretical contribution and focuses on the strategic and knowledge-based importance of BDA in higher education. It outlines the need to cultivate innovative culture to leverage data-driven capabilities, providing further insight for administrators and policymakers in hospitality colleges.