Strategies for Building a Data Culture in Schools

Last week, I posted about data strategies’ tendency to focus on the data itself, overlooking the (data-driven) decisioning process itself. All it not lost. First, it is appropriate that the majority of the focus remains on the supply of high-quality #data relative to the perceived demand for it through the lenses of specific use cases. But there is an opportunity to complement this by addressing the decisioning process itself. 7 initiatives you can consider: 1) Create a structured decision-making framework that integrates data into the strategic decision-making process. This is a reusable framework that can be used to explain in a variety of scenarios how decisions can be made. Intuition is not immediately a bad thing, but the framework raises awareness about its limitations, and the role of data to overcome them. 2) Equip leaders with the skills to interpret and use data effectively in strategic contexts. This can include offering training programs focusing on data literacy, decision-making biases, hypothesis development, and data #analytics techniques tailored for strategic planning. A light version could be an on-demand training. 3) Improve your #MI systems and dashboards to provide real-time, relevant, and easily interpretable data for strategic decision-makers. If data is to play a supporting role to intuition in a number of important scenarios, then at least that data should be available and reliable. 4) Encourage a #dataculture, including in the top executive tier. This is the most important and all-encompassing recommendation, but at the same time the least tactical and tangible. Promote the use of data in strategic discussions, celebrate data-driven successes, and create forums for sharing best practices. 5) Integrate #datascientists within strategic planning teams. Explore options to assign them to work directly with executives on strategic initiatives, providing data analysis, modeling, and interpretation services as part of the decision-making process. 6) Make decisioning a formal pillar of your #datastrategy alongside common existing ones like data architecture, data quality, and metadata management. Develop initiatives and goals focused on improving decision-making processes, including training, tools, and metrics. 7) Conduct strategic data reviews to evaluate how effectively data was used. Avoid being overly critical of the decision-makers; the goal is to refine the process, not question the decisions themselves. Consider what data could have been sought at the time to validate or challenge the decision. Both data and intuition have roles to play in strategic decision-making. No leap in data or #AI will change that. The goal is to balance the two, which requires investment in the decision-making process to complement the existing focus on the data itself. Full POV ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e3F-R6V7

Leaders, here’s a reality check! A data-driven future isn’t just about systems and strategies—it’s about people. Your success depends on: → Connecting people to your vision → Empowering them with the tools and skills to succeed → Leading with a focus on collaboration and inclusivity Data may drive decisions, but it’s the people that unlock its full potential. As you scale your organization, don’t overlook the human connections that turn data into meaningful impact. When your people grow, your organization thrives.     Want to harness the full potential of data? Want to drive smarter decisions and stronger organizations?   Start by building an inclusive data infrastructure where everyone can:   • Access data • Act on data • Align with data   Here's how:   1. Engage Individuals Show the value of data in decision-making.   2. Educate Teams Teach them how to leverage data to meet their goals.   3. Enable Infrastructure Connect systems, drive governance, foster literacy.   4. Promote Transparency Ensure data is open and accessible.   5. Encourage Collaboration Create a culture where data is shared and used collectively.   6. Support Continuous Learning Offer training and resources to build data skills.   7. Lead by Example Use data-driven insights in your leadership.   With these steps, you can transform your organization. Or enhance the data culture you already have.   It's not just good for your people. It's good for your community, too.   Data matters. Make it count.   P.S. Want to chat about keynotes? DM me “KEYNOTE”

Creating a data-driven culture doesn’t happen overnight — it’s something you have to build 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. After my last post, I got a lot of questions about practical tips we can take to create that culture within our organizations. So here's 4 actionable steps you can take starting today 👇 🔑 Provide easy access to data This is the simplest one. People need to be able to interact with something to see its value. At the very least, have a dashboard for important KPIs that is accessible to everyone in the company. Take the time to design it so it's intuitive and easy to understand (more on data UX later). I've also seen companies use Slackbots as an effective way to push weekly updates to relevant channels. 📚 Encourage data literacy Data without any context is just numbers. Make it easy for everyone to understand what each chart or value means. When in doubt over-communicate and explain exactly the definition behind everything in detail. This can be tooltips, a text FAQ at the bottom of your dashboard, or even a full-blown wiki. Just make sure it's easy to consume and not buried. When you get more advanced, you can offer internal training sessions or office hours. These venues can enable people to ask more specific questions relevant to their job, and even get some hands-on training with how to manipulate data. 🧑🔬 Make data core to the decision-making process As your team is deciding on the next initiative to focus on, bring data to help make your case. And push others to back up their ideas with data. Approach it by discussing a trend or unique segment that might indicate an opportunity. Create a hypothesis for why this data looks this way and what it means. If you can then project how these numbers would change based on your initiative, that's even better. 🎊 Celebrate data-driven wins After you're using data to inform your decisions, use it to help tell a story about new initiatives. Show the broader organization how data-driven decisions lead to success. The more people see data being used successfully, the more value they will see in it and want to join in themselves. When data becomes part of your company’s DNA, it empowers every team to make smarter decisions, innovate faster, and drive growth. What things have you tried to evangelize the importance of data within your organizations? Let me know in the comments!