Ascent of Man - Knowledge and Certainty

Recently, I was invited to attend an online workshop hosted by Data Leaders in the UK.  The workshop discussed The Culture Change Challenge: Effectively Overcoming the Common Barriers.  It was a really good workshop - timely for me with the work I am currently doing leading a Data Culture Enablement Project with the Canadian Forest Service and supporting the development of a roll-out plan promoting data literacy and data skills across all of Natural Resources Canada.  

One of the presentations looked at the way humans make decisions and the role of noise and bias in data-driven decision processes.  The presentation reminded me of an amazing TV series from the 1970's called The Ascent of Man, hosted by Jacob Bronowski. It was one of the early blockbuster series from the BBC. One episode in particular had a deep and lasting effect on me; Episode 11: Knowledge or Certainty.  The subject is Germany between the two world wars.  At the time (1920's) physicists were defining the principle of uncertainty, the idea that no matter how much you know - there will always be a degree of uncertainty that can be statistically measured.  For science it implied that we need to take all results with a degree of skepticism. Not that scientific results are wrong - but that the degree of "rightness" is never 100%.  At the same university were social scientists who were proposing theories of anthropological certainty that promoted theories of racial superiority. These ideas were adopted by the Nazis to justify the superiority of the white, Nordic race and concentration camps. 

At the conclusion of the episode, the host Jacob Bronowski visits Auschwitz and relates the story of how members of his family died in the Halocaust.  He walks into a stream, reaches down into the stream to pull up a handful of sand and states that this is a lesson in what happens when a society assumes certainty. It was a powerful moment that I will never forget. It reminds us that we need to be humble about the knowledge we have and how we use it. 

Data science is no different.  It is a powerful tool that can help us understand the world we live in and give us insights that contribute to inform policies, decisions and actions.  We must be wary of the noise and biases that may be in the models and work hard to eliminate them as much as possible.  In the end, however, there is always a statistical factor of uncertainty that we need to acknowledge and work with. Data science can never give us certainty.  The role of humans is to apply wisdom and common sense to the results of any data analysis.  We need to be open to the opportunities and insights data analysis can give us, but understand the limits of what technology can give us.  

Data Culture Enablement Project

 

About eight months ago, a proposal for a Data Culture Enablement Project was granted funding from a Natural Resources of Canada departmental special projects fund. The objective of the project is to develop a series of tools to promote a vibrant data culture and to enhance data literacy and skills within the Department. The project was sponsored by the Canadian Forest Service with the CFS acting as the pilot site. I have the privilege of being the project lead.

 

Over the past eight months a number of core deliverables have been created including:

1.      a draft corporate data values statement as a foundation for a vibrant data culture

2.      four unique Data Personas that can be applied to any position within the organization

3.      a data culture/skills assessment tool based on the Open Data Institute Data Skills Framework

4.      analysis of where the CFS is on a data maturity framework

5.      a matrix to crosswalk combining data personas with a corporate data maturity model, including characteristics, capabilities, recommended data skills and associated sources of training.

 

As we started analyzing the data from the assessment survey, some preliminary observations have emerged.

 

1. Promoting and developing a data culture is more complex than it originally appeared. The technology part is easy - it is the people part that requires thought, patience and perseverance.
2. If you bring 10 people into a room and ask them to define what data is, you will get 15 answers.
3. Data literacy and skills is the operational side of data culture. You cannot promote broader team data literacy and skills without a supportive data culture, hence the need for a corporate data skills values statement.
4. Ultimately, promoting a supportive data culture requires senior leadership buy-in and a strong commitment to change management and ongoing communications

 

There is no question of the positive organizational value that comes from promoting a corporate data culture and the affiliated data literacy and skills. It is not, however, a quick fix. Data culture is a journey, not a destination.

 

More to come, as we work our way through this project. 

Comments and thoughts appreciated....

A Data Culture Values Statement

 Recently, I have been reading Mark Carney's book Value(s).  It got me thinking about the need for core/key values as an essential tool to guide the implementation of an organizational Data Culture/Literacy program. Based on my current work in developing a Data Culture/Literacy change management process, I drafted the following organizational Data Culture Values Statement.  Based on any feedback I get, I plan to convert this into poster for complimentary download.  Feel free to comment below. 

A comment on the concept of Data Culture.  If you put 10 people in a room and asked them to define "data" you would come out with 15 answers!  I am using the term Data Culture to refer to the attitudes, practices, and behavioural norms an organization applies to their data.  Data is often a by-product of processes, and as an asset never appears on a balance sheet.  Data is intangible and ephemeral.  Yet, we know from countless studies that data is now a key strategic asset.  Data Culture is the way data is seen, managed, and recognized in an organization.  The purpose of this values statement is to provide a foundation for building a positive Data Culture in any organization.

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A Data Culture Values Statement

1.  We believe that the basis of a being an excellent and data-driven organization starts with promoting a positive data culture.

2.    We recognize that every organization already has a data culture. The foundation of this Values Statement is built on understanding the nature of that culture, and having passionate conversations about where we are and where we need to be with that data culture.

3.     We believe that promoting a positive data culture is the work of everyone from executives to the newest hires.

4.     Data is a core strategic asset.  We will manage our data infrastructure/assets with the same intentionality as we manage people, strategy, and stakeholder engagement.

5.     Every individual in our organization is already a data worker, we commit to helping each of them understand the value and contribution their data work brings to the organization.

6.       We will provide everyone with the tools, training and opportunity to match their data skills with the requirements of their roles and responsibilities.

7.       We actively promote the use of data to inform decisions, strategies, policies and planning.  As W. Edwards Deming put it; “Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.”

8.       We encourage every member of the organization to explore, analyze, and communicate data insights that contribute to innovation and continuous improvement.

9.       We will promote active sharing of data products, datasets, and data workflows to enhance the value of our data through collaboration.

10.   We will foster data governance policies and procedures that promotes the ethical use of data, reduce bias, and reflect the highest core values of our organization.

11.   Ultimately, data, data analytics, data models, and data products are only an enabler.  We will be open to what the data tells us that we may not have seen before; to which we will apply common sense and wisdom in the use of data, in informing decisions, strategies, policies and our actions.

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Feel free to contact me by email or follow me on LinkedIn.  

Data Literacy- the why

I was recently asked to do a briefing note on the what, why and benefits of promoting data skills and data literacy.  This post is based on some of that briefing note.

Background/Considerations

There are three major trends influencing global development that impact organizations of all types:

1.  The Fourth Industrial Revolution – broad scale technological innovation and disruption
2.  COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery – building a global health care system and local economic recovery
3.  Global Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability – to meet the competing issues of global climate change, democratic challenges and a sustainable economic system that meets the needs of all within a net-zero climate.

Data is the lubricant in all of these areas that contributes to the ability to manage these trends with insights that contribute to informed policy making and operational decisions.  Data is now a key organizational strategic asset, second only to people. Leveraging the value of data is now a core strategic advantage.

Today’s largest and most successful organizations use data to their advantage when making high-impact decisions. Corporate investments in data skills and literacy is essential to increase the organizational ability to manage data, derive meaningful and reliable insights, and communicate results to decision makers and stakeholders.  Companies that are more data literate experience 3 to 5% greater enterprise value, which translates to $300 to $500 million greater total market value (The Human Impact of Data Literacy, Accenture, 2020). The higher the enterprise data literacy level, the greater value the business can generate (Deloitte, 2020).

As we come to the end of 2021 and look into the future of 2022; how do the three major trends influence what you and your organization is doing?  What is the role data can play in that?  How can you leverage data as a core strategic asset to discover the insights you need to innovate?

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Feel free to contact me by email or follow me on LinkedIn.  

Digital Transformation

I recently had a discussion with a colleague on the concept of digital transformation and what a successful digital transformation process would look like.  My email reply suggested the following:

Successful digital transformation focuses on the people issues.  The technology (hardware and software) is just the enabler. Successful digital transformation starts with leadership - the C-suite has to understand and support the digital transformation journey - and it is a journey.  Secondly, you need to look at your data culture:

• How are you using data now?  
• How do you need to use data in the future?  
• What are your near term and longer term goals for the transformation effort?  
• How are you going to communicate the process?  

Start with one key business process where digital transformation would make a major difference.  Work on that project alone to demonstrate that digital transformation can work.  Make lots of little adjustments - not a big moon shot.  Engage the participants that have a stake in the digital transformation as key enablers and team members.  The key here is to help them understand the benefits of using digital tools to do their work better.  

According to the experts (Deloitte et al) 80% of transformation projects fail.  The number one reason for failure is lack of C-suite support and ignoring the people side of the equation.  There are lots of successful digital transformation projects.  Look for the smaller examples - not the big huge ones.  Good Luck.

If you are engaged in a digital transformation project - you might want to ask yourself the same questions and focus on one project that can move the needle in a significant and positive fashion.  Don't try to boil the ocean - make incremental changes over time.  This is really a form of digital Kaizen.  

Feel free to contact me with questions or comments.  Sharing is caring!  To see my recent presentation to the Open Data Institute on Leveraging Data for Impact see the video here.

Open Data Institute Presentation

This past Friday I joined Open Data Institute Consultant Jonathan Wilson for the ODI Fridays lunchtime seminar talking about Leveraging data to demonstrate impact.  There were about 30 in attendance from across Europe and North America.  It was a pleasure to be invited to do the presentation and there were some really good questions!  ODI has posted the recording on their YouTube channel.  You can find it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4U-doqAXWY&t=5s

 

Welcome Back

 Welcome Back!

I am finally getting back into my blogging routine.  During the Canadian Election in August and September, there is a restriction on the use of social media by Government employees.  Given the limitations, I suspended posting until now, well after the election and any chance of contravening any regulations. 

It has been a busy time.  I did a presentation on Leveraging Data to Demonstrate Impact in September and will be doing a similar presentation for the Open Data Institute ODI Fridays tomorrow at 1:00 PM BST. The presentation will be recorded and available on the ODI YouTube channel.  More details to come. 

 At the same time I have been doing a lot of research on potential blog posts, so stay tuned for what is coming over the next few weeks. I am currently leading a project to assess corporate data culture through an assessment tool that looks at data maturity both from a corporate and individual perspective.  I am also working on refining data personas and contributing to several working groups on data skills competencies in the public sector.  All very interesting stuff.  

I apologize for the brevity of this posting.  More interesting content will be forthcoming, I promise!