Resistant team members are blocking data governance initiatives. How can you break through their resistance?

Data Governance is often seen as a blocker, but true progress only happens when DG becomes an enabler. Resistance to Data Governance efforts indicates a systemic issue - people just do not understand the need and benefits of DG. It behooves the top Data and AI leaders in the company to take on the responsibility for putting DG in the correct light. Tactically, this means understanding the reasons for resistance and actively working on collaboration with the business to enable easier discovery of data and data assets, improving data quality which in turn will make the business's life easier, and getting some key critical wins together. When business and tech win together, magic happens. Collaboration is key in successful Data Governance.

Resistência geralmente vem da falta de compreens?o ou medo de mudan?as. Inicie conversas abertas com os membros resistentes para identificar suas preocupa??es específicas. Est?o preocupados com a carga de trabalho adicional ou o impacto nos processos atuais? Compreender seu ponto de vista é o primeiro passo para abordar suas apreens?es e facilitar a ado??o das iniciativas de governan?a de dados.

Identifying the cause of resistance, like in a typical problem-solving approach, is the first step to mitigating resistance from team members. In my experience, resistance is a direct result of a lack of clarity on the overall data governance program or a specific data governance initiative. In most cases, understanding the concern and providing a clear road map with the expected positive outcome/impact on team members' roles and the entire organization will mitigate resistance.

Identifying the concern should be the first move of any strategic solution. Communicate with the respective people, conduct interviews and surveys to understand their concerns and reasons for resistance. Organise focus groups to discuss data governance initiatives and gather feedback.

A educa??o é uma ferramenta poderosa para superar a resistência. Organize sess?es de treinamento que expliquem os princípios da governan?a de dados e sua aplica??o na organiza??o. Garanta que essas sess?es sejam interativas e adaptadas aos diferentes papéis da equipe. Destacar estudos de caso ou cenários relacionados às suas tarefas diárias podem ajudar os membros a ver as aplica??es práticas e as vantagens da governan?a de dados.

Para convencer céticos, demonstre os benefícios tangíveis da governan?a de dados. Mostre como ela pode otimizar fluxos de trabalho, reduzir erros e melhorar a tomada de decis?es. Use exemplos da própria organiza??o ou casos semelhantes na indústria. Quando os membros da equipe perceberem como a governan?a de dados pode facilitar seu trabalho e contribuir para o sucesso da empresa, estar?o mais propensos a apoiar a iniciativa.

It is understandable when team members are not supportive of data governance and its initiatives at the initial stage because the benefits are unclear. With time, data governance efforts will start to culminate in tangible outcomes. This is the time to win team members over, especially the resistant ones, to become fully onboarded on all data governance initiatives. The tangible outcomes become reference points to the goal of data governance and the positive data management outcomes it guarantees.

Identifique e capacite indivíduos entusiastas que possam atuar como campe?es da governan?a de dados dentro da equipe. Esses defensores podem influenciar seus colegas por meio de recomenda??es positivas e ao exemplificar as práticas necessárias. Escolha campe?es de diferentes departamentos para garantir um alcance amplo e eficaz. Essa abordagem facilita a aceita??o e implementa??o das iniciativas de governan?a de dados.

Addressing the fear of increased workload when implementing data governance initiatives requires a multi-faceted approach: 1) Transparency - Clearly articulate the reasons behind the initiative. 2) Minimal Disruption - Show examples of workflows before and after the integration to illustrate that the core duties remain largely unchanged. Introduce tools and technologies that automate parts of the data governance process, reducing manual effort. 3) Phased Implementation - Start with a small, manageable pilot project. Allow teams to adapt gradually rather than facing a sudden, overwhelming change. 4) Professional Growth - Emphasize how involvement in data governance can enhance their skills and make them more valuable to the organization.

Motivate them by including them in the vision and approach. Data Governance must break the shackles of a dogmatic top-down discipline towards a collaborative model that leverages the expertise of existing human capital.

Para superar a resistência, incentive uma abordagem colaborativa na implementa??o da governan?a de dados. Envolva os membros da equipe no desenvolvimento de políticas e procedimentos, proporcionando-lhes um senso de propriedade. Isso também garante que o framework de governan?a seja prático e considere as nuances dos diferentes papéis. Essa inclus?o facilita a aceita??o e promove uma cultura de coopera??o e melhoria contínua.

It is important to review staff workloads regularly and adjust to meet new or changing responsibilities. This suggestion also applies to data governance and data stewardship functions. Most data stewards are performing other activities and are expected to take on data stewardship tasks. Each data steward should have their workloads reviewed regularly and adjustments made as their data stewardship responsibilities increase. Sometimes it is necessary to appoint additional data stewards to address the increased work and expectations for effective data stewardship (with sufficient training, of course).

Start with small, manageable changes that are less likely to face resistance. Gradually scale up as team members become more comfortable with the new processes. In my company, we began by standardising data entry practices in one department. This small change improved data accuracy by 15%, demonstrating the benefits of data governance & paving the way for broader initiatives with less resistance. Define clear metrics & key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of data governance initiatives. Regularly share these metrics with the team to highlight progress & benefits. In my company, we established KPIs such as data accuracy rates & data breach incidents.

Education is one of many steps, however, it may be necessary to offer hands-on support in their daily role so that individuals can adapt the training they have received into their day-to-day roles. Consider a buddy principle to help the transition process. Customise the work they perform to build upon the training received until they can autonomously demonstrate it in daily activities to the full level required. Motivate individuals with recognition, performance reward alignment or promotions if they can demonstrate adapting to the new changes. Align their roles with additional metrics for what will be expected and how their performance will be measured.