Data literacy is a key enabler of the value and impact from data. How are you approaching this within your organisation?
Data literacy takes time, and we are closing out year two of our data transformation journey. This means data literacy is still front and centre on our journey; we see data literacy as a journey rather than a destination.
One of the main reasons for this is data literacy is driven by the pace at which industry must keep up, and with the changes topics such as generative AI create. We have moved from the cliched phrase of data-driven to a more mature position of questioning how data can drive our business outcomes. At a macro level we use the inside-out and outside-in model described in Being Data Literate to consider our data literacy. We see this model as an infinite loop.
From an inside-out view, it is important that the data team not only provide the insight, but also how to bring it to bear in their stakeholders’ decision making. Outside-in is arguably more important as without business context, insight is significantly diminished. Open mindedness when accepting business challenges is key to successful engagements and preconceptions must be challenged at every step of the process. The infinite loop of data literacy is powered as much by a data department’s ability to be business literate as it is for the business to be literate in data.
Heathrow looks at where to prioritise data literacy by viewing stakeholders through a change-curve lens. We know not all stakeholders are ready for the journey or will only go on the journey if endorsed by their peer groups. Conversely, early adopters can lead the way. We use this method to identify those who can accelerate the loop to drive data literacy faster and who they will bring on the journey.