Data literacy in the real world

Data literacy is rapidly becoming an essential skill for organizations to thrive in the modern ecosystem. But actually rolling out a strategy that upskills your workforce to read, write, analyze and communicate with data can be a daunting prospect. To get a firmer grasp on how data literacy is evolving in the real world, I recently sat down for a panel with four leading data experts. Here were some of my favorite takeaways from each panelist.

1. “A data-driven company needs data-savvy drivers.” – Vinay Dheer, Data Strategy, Culture and Literacy Lead, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Our CIO felt that in order to drive us up the data literacy-maturity curve, a culture of treating data as an asset was a key ingredient we needed to develop. At Regeneron, we are in the business of developing and standing by our data – that's what we do. We have world-class infrastructure and we have great people in data-focused roles, but in order to maximize the value of our data, we need everyone to be data savvy.

The motto of our data literacy program is: “A data-driven company needs data-savvy drivers.” It's not about making a data scientist out of everyone. It's about elevating the data fluency of everyone at Regeneron. With everyone working together and having a common language, we can elevate the status of data and the role it plays in the company as a whole.

2. “There’s an awful lot that different business areas can learn from each other.” – Aart Labee, Global Head of Data & Analytics, Syngenta

Our broader data strategy was mostly executed by business area. So we have a seed business. We have a crop-protection business. We have a significant commercial component. We have the R&D and supply chain. But there's an awful lot they can learn from each other. So while that data strategy is an overarching one for the entire company, the execution was happening in the business areas and in particular domains.

Having a data registry is a great vehicle to bring them all together. Initially our commercial teams wanted a tailored program for commercial units, but by bringing them all together in groups of 30 to 40 people, they could cross-pollinate from their experience in their particular domains. So it connects everyone with a data strategy, but it also makes visible where there are gaps between new domains that we can learn from.

3. “When data permeates more people's jobs and more of our functions, people are happier.” – David Miller, European and UK Lead for Augmented Insights, Accenture

Data literacy is the next vanguard of data matching – those connected ways of thinking are getting people more used to the idea that there is now a basic level of expectation. If we can get our employees to really understand what they're looking at, then data will permeate more people's jobs, more of our functions. Those people will then be happier. People who feel they have the data literacy skills, the data available at their fingertips, and the ability to use technology to make decisions – we find they are happier and more productive. They self-report that they have better outcomes.

A lot of companies are seeing the importance of data literacy. But in this very academic sense, it’s seen as this nebulous concept that, while it’s very important and they think they should do something about it, they don't quite know what or how. That's very frustrating to employees and it's frustrating to the C-suite. But it's showing the opportunity. If you can move into that space, if you can have everybody feeling positive about data literacy, then you can have a little bit more control over your data.

4. “Data is the cornerstone of making business decisions.” – Joe DosSantos, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Qlik

The problem is: how can we get the broader ecosystem to understand some basic things around their business? At Qlik, for instance, one of our most important moments is renewal. If you think about the act of renewal, you could say, “Well, that's when a customer buys the same thing as they did before.” But no – sometimes they buy more. Sometimes they cross-sell. Sometimes the combination increases the price.

There are all these different dimensions, and these things are not siloed analytical problems or business problems. We need to get people to understand how data is the cornerstone of making business decisions. It's not about getting data-savvy people to become more like data scientists. It’s about getting everyone else to understand the business questions that are imperative to answer.

If you want to know more about why data literacy will be the most in-demand skill by 2030, you can download Qlik’s latest research report, Data Literacy: The Upskilling Evolution.

About the author:

As the Global Head of Data Literacy at Qlik, I lead an integrated, business-driven approach to enabling companies to become more data-driven. I’ve spent decades developing advanced data and analytics solutions for Fortune 100 companies, and I’m a longtime advocate for business-driven data strategies and best practices. If you’d like to learn more about how leading companies are transforming through data literacy, please visit https://www.qlik.com/us/bi/data-literacy.