NZISDC 2013 1 Praxio-integrative decision-making: From information-based decisions towards wisdom- fostered decisions Ali Intezari, Massey University, Auckland. a.intezari@massey.ac.nz 1 A/Prof. David Pauleen 2 A/Prof. Wendelin Kupers Abstract This paper draws on the findings of an empirical research project (PhD dissertation) and investigates the relationship between wisdom and managerial decision-making with an emphasis on the data-information- knowledge-wisdom hierarchy (DIKW). In an on-going explorative and interpretive research project being conducted in New Zealand, public and private sector managers and senior executives have been interviewed to examine their perceptions on the interrelationship between wisdom and management decision-making. Grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) techniques have been used to analyse the data. The findings of this study are reported in this paper. The paper has two main parts. In the first part, the author raises the question: how can the information systems that are implemented in organisations to effectively manage information and knowledge and to support managerial decisions be used to foster wisdom in management decision-making. The first part makes the case for further studies on the implementation of information systems in wise managerial decision- making. In the second part, the contribution of wisdom to the managerial decision-making process is discussed based on the empirical findings. Some practical implications and possible research questions are provided in the conclusion section. Keywords Wisdom, Information Systems, Knowledge Management, Decision-making Introduction Over the last two decades knowledge management has attracted much attention in organizational studies and management fields. The recognition that knowledge is a vital competitive factor for organizations heightened the need for managing knowledge more effectively and efficiently than ever, which consequently led to the emergence of Knowledge Management (KM) as a critical field in the management arena. KM is defined as “any process (either formal policy or informal personal methods) that facilitates the capture, distribution, creation and application of knowledge for decision making”(Walczak, 2005, p. 331). A broadly accepted approach to the nature of knowledge in organizational studies is derived from the hierarchical view of data-information-knowledge-wisdom (DIKW) (Ackoff, 1989; Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Hicks, Dattero, & Galup, 2006; J Rowley, 2007; Zeleny, 1987). In the DIKW hierarchy data is defined as “a representation of an object” (Miller, Malloy, Masek, & Wild, 2001, p. 365), and has no significance beyond its existence (Pantzar, 2000). Information is data that is transformed into