Is Data the new toil?

Is Data the new toil?

It seems like hard work in most organizations at the moment. Where to find it? How to process it? And then - what to do with it? I thought I’d write about a few things that I’m learning about some key questions relating to data:

1. What to do with data?

My biggest learning here is that organizations and teams move forward when they use data to start discussions rather than close them. My teacher Prof Paolo Quattrone has been saying this in the context of financial data for a long time now, and I’ve come to realize that it’s valid for all types of data. Data should afford rich discussions around the “why” and “how” of the topic under discussion. We should not be using data to close doors.

2. What happens when the data shows things the leadership doesn’t believe in?

What I’ve learnt here is that it’s futile to have a process to determine who wins. What is needed are open-minded discussions in a safe environment. Listening (and that will be a separate post!) is key here for all parties. I once heard Julia Fidler of Microsoft say at a conference that “it’s when we listen carefully that we get a chance to improve human lives”. I couldn’t agree more!

3. How to bridge the gap between the data nerds and those who should be doing something with the data?

This is becoming a real issue in most organisations. I have learnt (from - among others - my former colleague Bardo Schütz) that Business Managers need to explain their needs in clear terms and let the data scientists determine the mathematical approach for servicing the need. At the same time, data scientists need to be more empathetic, and show more curiosity for business dynamics as many things that seem obvious to them are unfortunately not so.

So, once again, to make progress on what seems like a technical topic (data and analytics), we need to focus on the human side and look at our behaviours.

Meanwhile, the data in this picture is triggering a discussion with my best friend and roommate Amrita Das about whether a barbecue this week could be a possibility! What do you think?