Abstract
Abstract
Purpose:
This study aims to examine the way leadership strategies and organizational practices shape the development of data-saturated dissent, especially in analytically intensive organizational contexts where employees increasingly have access to and interpretive capacity over operational data.
Design/methodology/approach:
In the current research, an interpretivist philosophical position underpins the qualitative research design, which centres around the use of semi-structured interviews with 20 individuals in data-intensive organizational settings. An inductive thematic analysis is used to explore the experience of analytically grounded dissent.
Findings:
The findings indicate that access to analytical tools and data by employees has redefined traditional notions of hierarchy in command of decisions by allowing dissent based on evidence rather than experience. It has been found that leadership, governance, and technology influence whether dissent contributes to better strategic decisions or disintegrates the organization.
Originality/value:
The research contributes further to the knowledge of leadership in digitally transformed organizations by conceptualizing data-saturated dissent as structurally embedded attributes of analytically mature environments. It emphasizes the growing imperative for leadership approaches that integrate epistemic credibility and formal authority in data-saturated workplaces.