Chapter 3: Activating data culture across your organisation

Over the past few weeks I’ve tried to give an honest assessment of building a data culture at scale. Good, bad and, let’s not say ugly. Culture isn’t always neat, and you definitely don’t get it right straight away (and there is an argument to suggest that you never will and perhaps never should).

Which brings me to my thought this time around.?

I can’t, and I haven’t, done any of this alone. It really has been, and will continue to be, a collective and collaborative effort.

The journey to data culture maturity is not a solitary path.

I have built out both a team and a network and given them the agency to develop their part of the mission, all towards the common vision and north star – a clear purpose in mind.

And it must be cohesive. The best teams are made up of people who pull in the same direction, not great individuals who do their own thing. A diverse network to meet diverse needs. Enable the baker to be the best baker they can be.

Even with a strong central team, making business-wide impact needs strong advocacy from key people across the business – so our data culture community play a significant role in driving a momentum of cultural change across the group.

So... who should you bring into the fold?

Well.. everyone. That's the aim. But in the first instance, here's where you can make a start:

Data Teams - If you're in a large organisation and haven't gone with a centralisation strategy, you probably have data & analytics teams all across the Group. Approach each team/area at the leadership level - ask them to appoint data culture representatives within their teams to amplify your data culture initiatives into their part of the Group.

Tech Teams - Architects, Engineers, CTOs, CIOs... Tech Culture is pretty similar to Data Culture in what it's trying to achieve. Lots of overlaps. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate.

Comms Teams - There will be lots of friends here. Teams for... Brand, Marketing, Group Corporate Affairs, local & Group comms - they will all be looking for fantastic data stories (what organisation isn't?). And can help you create mechanisms to spot them and amplify them in a big way - both internally and externally.

HR Teams - Even more friends here. Teams for... Recruitment, Early Careers, Learning, Culture, Workplace - these are all where 'Data Culture' meets 'Culture'. You're looking to apply a data lens on all of these things. Work closely with these teams so you're all pulling in the same direction.

Business Teams - Every organisation will have 100s (maybe 1000s) of colleagues keen to improve their data skills and knowledge. Harness this enthusiasm as much as possible. Get sponsorship from as close to the top as you can.

Risk Teams - Maybe slightly controversial. But ultimately risk teams are there to keep your organisation safe. And they often have a large voice - that people listen to. Figure out how your data culture initiatives help towards these goals - and team up to kick down doors that hamper progress.

What's common across all these teams?

In isolation, not very much actually. But when you overlay Data Culture, this is something that can bring them all together.

Find out what's important to each of them and look for common opportunities to collaborate.

Here's what I found to be useful 'team up' topics:

1. Solving problems within your data culture strategy that are really meaningful/challenging to business or data leaders. A problem shared...
2. What are the gaps for data practitioners with HR or Comms initiatives? (i.e. how do HR or Comms initiatives land with practitioners? What's the perception from both sides?). Be the glue that brings these things together. Sharpen how they land, make them meaningful in a data practitioner setting.
3. How will your proposed data culture initiatives reduce risk across the organisation? Will it safeguard your talent pipeline? Ensure you have the right skills in data teams at the right time? Protect from too many SPOFs that could put a critical process at risk?

So go back to these key stakeholders and play back your vision and the first iteration of your data culture strategy. Ask them to join the early version of your Data Culture Champions group. Get in at the ground floor.

Keep them engaged with how the strategy evolves. And ask for help. Lots of it. The more bought in they are, the more you'll all achieve together.

And at some point you will begin to see the culture being developed based on the direction and the behaviours that you collectively set.? We are already seeing it.

But never forget that it’s a journey, and it won’t be quick.

What champions have you enlisted to help with your data culture journey?

Next up... Start rolling out your strategy across your whole organisation...