Democratizing analytics for sales enablement: an Action Research study in the energy sector

This study explores how data democratization through self-service business intelligence can improve decision-making in commercial sales operations. Conducted with a multinational energy company, it examines the organizational, technical, and human impacts of increased data access and analytical autonomy among sales teams. Using Action Research combined with CRISP-DM, the study involved the iterative design, implementation, and evaluation of an analytics-enabled decision support system. Findings indicate that greater data access and reduced dependence on centralized analytics teams improved perceived decision quality, responsiveness, and decision speed. However, uneven data literacy, resistance to new decision-making authority, governance constraints, and inconsistent adoption limited the extent of democratization. The study highlights the need to align technological enablement with data literacy, governance, and change management. Methodologically, it shows how combining Action Research with CRISP-DM can support analytics development and organizational learning. Improvements reflect participants’ perceptions rather than objectively measured changes in decision quality.