Why Do Companies Make Poor Decisions Despite Having Data?

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, more than 60% of senior executives believe their strategic decisions are too slow or ineffective, despite heavy investment in data, analytics, and reporting tools.
Similarly, a PwC Global CEO Survey found that nearly 55% of CEOs feel decision quality in their organizations is not improving at the same pace as market change.

These figures do not point to a technical failure. Instead, they reveal a deeper issue:
a gap between information availability and decision quality.

This gap is precisely where, from Tarteeb’s perspective, the real challenge begins.

Data Abundance Does Not Equal Decision Clarity

Research published by Harvard Business Review shows that organizations today generate more data than ever before. Yet a decision-making paradox emerges when:

  • Reports multiply
  • Metrics conflict
  • And decisions stall

In such cases, leadership is not constrained by lack of information, but by the absence of a clear framework that connects information to decisions.

At that point, data loses its strategic value.

Where Decisions Commonly Break Down

Through our work with boards and executive teams, we consistently observe that decision failure rarely occurs during analysis itself. Instead, it tends to emerge at one of the following points:

First: Conflicting Priorities

Studies by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) indicate that companies lacking clear strategic priorities waste up to 25% of their execution capacity due to scattered focus.

When everything is labeled a priority, decision-making becomes paralyzed.

Second: Unclear Decision Accountability

According to OECD governance reports, weak definition of decision authority leads to:

  • Slower responses
  • Compromise-driven outcomes
  • Or decisions being passed across organizational layers

In many cases, decisions do not fail because they are wrong, but because they are not made in time.

Third: Confusing Consensus with Decision Quality

Leadership research from Harvard Business School shows that excessive pursuit of consensus can result in weaker decisions, as:

  • Difficult questions go unasked
  • Risks are insufficiently debated
  • And the “least disruptive” option is chosen instead of the most effective one

At Tarteeb, we frequently observe this pattern in organizations that prioritize surface harmony over rigorous professional debate.

Why Ready-Made Decision Models Often Fail

Many organizations rely on:

  • Generic decision templates
  • Imported frameworks
  • Or models that ignore local context

However, reports from the World Economic Forum emphasize that decision effectiveness is highly dependent on:

  • Organizational context
  • Leadership maturity
  • Market dynamics

Sound decisions are not copied—they are built.

The Role of Professional Advisory: Structuring Thinking Before Solutions

At Tarteeb Consulting, we do not begin with the question “What is the solution?”
We begin with a more fundamental one:

How is the decision being thought through in the first place?

Our role is not to:

  • Deliver ready-made recommendations
  • Or add another layer of reporting

Instead, we focus on:

  • Structuring the discussion
  • Clarifying priorities
  • Defining who decides, and on what basis

This approach is supported by McKinsey research, which shows that organizations with clear decision frameworks make decisions up to 40% faster and with higher effectiveness.

Decision-Making as an Institutional Process, Not a Moment

Modern management literature consistently frames decision-making not as a single event, but as a process involving:

  • Diagnosis
  • Deliberation
  • Commitment
  • And follow-up

When any link in this chain breaks, overall decision quality deteriorates.

Yet many organizations focus only on what decision is made, while neglecting how it is made.

Indicators That Signal the Need for Professional Intervention

Based on experience, organizations typically need advisory support when:

  • The same decisions recur without different outcomes
  • Discussions extend without resolution
  • Recommendations conflict across departments
  • Or execution results consistently surprise leadership

These are not performance problems.
They are decision problems.

How Tarteeb Approaches Decision Quality

We do not believe in one-size-fits-all solutions.

At Tarteeb, we work to:

  • Build decision frameworks aligned with each organization’s reality
  • Integrate decision-making with governance structures
  • Enable leaders to make difficult decisions with clarity and confidence

This role differs fundamentally from advisory approaches that focus solely on what to do, without addressing how leaders think.

A Professional Closing

Data, research, and market experience all point to the same conclusion:

  • Poor decision-making is one of the highest hidden costs organizations carry
  • And investing in decision quality precedes any operational or technological investment

Organizations that:

  • Structure their thinking
  • Organize their internal dialogue
  • And build clear decision frameworks

Are the ones that sustain competitiveness in rapidly changing environments.