Data Literacy: Overcoming Bad Attitudes and Blind Spots

Top punishable offenses in the House of Dershewitz include peeling the stickers off a Rubik’s cube, speaking the words, “Math class is tough. When am I ever gonna use this?,” or making the claim that, “I don’t need data to do my job.”?

It’s unfathomable to me that anyone, in this day and age, would think they don’t need data for their job - much less say it out loud within earshot of others. Yet, as I’ve recently learned, it still happens.

I’ve spent my entire career in data. I’ve seen a lot, done a lot, and I pride myself on my ability to help others navigate this field. But recently, I discovered a blind spot: data literacy.

For nearly a decade, I’ve worked in extremely data-savvy environments in big tech. It’s definitely a great place to be as a data leader, but it’s also left me in a bit of a bubble, disconnected from the reality that many of my peers at other companies face in their day-to-day work.

Okay, I’ll Take Your Word for It

The first time I noticed I might be missing something was a couple of years ago, as I was drafting a public presentation for an analytics conference. Part of my talk introduced a framework for goals that data teams take. When I previewed it with the conference chair, he suggested that I add a new foundational goal to my framework: organizational data literacy. I initially questioned him, “Is that really a thing?” and he assured me that it was.

In all the times I’ve delivered that talk, no one has ever called me out on being wrong about data literacy.

But that experience has nagged at me. Data literacy isn’t a term that comes up often in my work environment, yet it felt like something I should know more about. So, I decided to dive deeper.

An Inspiring Data Literacy Case Study

That’s where my friend Joseph Miscavige comes into the picture. Joe recently gave a conference keynote on data literacy, which I was fortunate enough to watch. Let me summarize it for you. During his time as a data leader at Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Joe launched and led a multi-year initiative to improve data literacy across the organization.

Joe and his colleagues had noticed a growing trend: while the data team was doing great work, many of the business stakeholders were struggling to interpret the insights or use data effectively in decision-making. This gap in data literacy was causing friction, miscommunication, and missed opportunities.

To address this issue, Joe and his team developed an upskilling program aimed at bridging the gap. They handpicked a cohort of business stakeholders and brought them together for a structured six-month program. Throughout the course, the group met frequently to improve their understanding of key data concepts, tools, and how to apply data in their roles. The program wasn’t just theoretical - they used real business problems to demonstrate the value of data literacy in action.

After the six months they spent together, the participants had not only improved their data skills but had also developed a deeper appreciation for the role data could play in driving better outcomes. By the end of that program, 70% of attendees described their data skills as either improved or greatly improved versus prior to participating. The success of the program led to broader organizational buy-in, and PBS continued to invest in scaling data literacy across the company. Since the initiative launched in 2020, more than 600 PBS-affiliated employees have gone through data literacy training.

Wow. I was impressed!

I also learned that Joe hadn’t invented all of this from scratch. In fact, there’s a whole decade’s worth of books, articles, and other resources on the topic of data literacy. All new to me.

Defining Data Literacy

I’ll admit, I initially had a bad attitude about data literacy, thinking it was just another buzzword consultants used to sell their services. It felt like a fluffy term with no real substance - like a solution in search of a problem. But as I began to learn more about the topic, particularly outside of my own personal day-to-day, I realized there was more to it than I initially gave credit for.

The basic definition of data literacy is straightforward: it’s the ability to read, work with, and make decisions based on data. But after digging deeper, I’d expand on that. Data literacy isn’t just about understanding numbers; it's about knowing how to interpret, question, and act on the data in your daily work.

At its core, data literacy is about teaching people to think critically about the information they’re presented with, whether it's a business report, a dashboard, or any other source. It’s about having the skills to avoid data traps and make informed, confident decisions. It’s about meeting people wherever they’re at to help them understand how to use data to do their jobs.

My New and Improved Perspective

I’ve come to realize that data literacy isn’t just for organizations with a big gap to close or a weak data culture. It also has a valuable place in businesses that are already quite data-savvy. Here are several important ways that it can be applied:

1. Pinpointing specific gaps: Data teams can identify knowledge gaps among stakeholder groups and offer targeted learning sessions to address those areas. It’s not about broad organization change, but rather reinforcing a shared understanding in a focused way.
2. Improving self-service effectiveness: In environments where large groups of stakeholders are expected to self-serve to get data and do analysis, a data literacy mindset is important. Focused training programs can help employees better navigate data, use it effectively, and avoid common pitfalls that data teams know (but maybe stakeholders don’t).?
3. Addressing recurring questions: Business leaders may often raise questions about critical data definitions or the limitations of what can be measured. A data literacy approach can offer the education needed to minimize these frequently-asked questions and improve decision-making.

Businesses that are already highly data-savvy are unlikely to set explicit goals to improve organizational data literacy. The need is more subtle than that, but no less important to keep in mind.

Conclusion

I still believe that "I don’t need data to do my job" should never fly in any workplace. But I’ve gained new respect for data literacy as a legitimate discipline that applies to any business. It’s more than just understanding numbers. It’s about equipping everyone with the confidence and skills to use data effectively. No matter how data-savvy your company is, there's always room to grow in this area.