TALKING business
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We are increasingly seeing datainformed decisions being made to support and streamline operations throughout the public sector . This is because governments and organizations realize that being data-driven and data literate are not just nice-to-haves . They are necessary in today ’ s digital world to not only improve the efficiency of public sector organizations , but to deliver the agile services that citizens now expect . And in our current climate , this has never been so pertinent .
But while public sector leaders may recognize the value in driving decisions based on data , there is a widening gap between what they want to achieve and how well equipped their employees are to deliver it . According to the Human Impact of Data Literacy , a report from Qlik and Accenture on behalf of The Data Literacy Project , though 45 % of public sector workers feel empowered within their organizations to make better decisions using data , the same amount confessed to feeling overwhelmed and unhappy at work at least once a week when reading , working with and analyzing data . More worryingly , more than a fifth ( 23 %) said they felt so overwhelmed when confronted with data that they avoided doing the task altogether .
It has never been more important for people to understand the information being presented to them every day , not only to help now but to equip them for the future . So , what can public sector employers do to close this gap and support their workers to be able to read , analyze , challenge and use data effectively ?
Here are five practical first steps that public sector leaders can execute on :
1 . Appoint a data champion responsible for driving tangible results
Public sector leaders need to ask themselves two questions : what tangible value do they want to realize from their data ? And are they currently set up to deliver the desired goals ?
To identify opportunities that align with and will tangibly impact the organization ’ s objectives , a data champion must be appointed . Typically , a Chief Data Officer ( CDO ) or Chief Information Officer ( CIO ), their role would be to act as a data ambassador across the organization ,
Jordan Morrow , Global Head of Data Literacy , Qlik
working with stakeholders to identify opportunities to better use data and establish a change management plan to successfully implement them .
Driving a data-literate culture is something that no one person can do alone . Therefore , a key function of the data champion role is setting clear expectations for the dataorientated working practices that need to be adopted in every function and at every level . This helps establish accountability for the adoption of new ways of working – not only for individual employees , but also for senior leadership , who must empower them with the necessary skills , tools and process changes . A top-down approach is critical to delivering true change and will ensure employees understand the positive contribution data can have to both their own role and for the broader business .
2 . Get prepared
Just as you wouldn ’ t commit to organizational restructuring without carrying out thorough analysis , nor should you embark upon a data strategy without an accurate understanding of the current state of data-informed decision-making across the organization and the potential barriers to success .
When armed with that information , work with the senior stakeholders of each department and the data champion to ensure that every employee has access to the data and tools , as well as the appropriate skill level required to succeed with data in their role . This is critical , as the Human Impact report exposed a disconnect between leaders ’ perception of their www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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