We are all data-driven – cynics might call us data-compelled. We make micro decisions every minute we’re awake based on the world of information at our fingertips.
So, why do almost 92% of executives say cultural obstacles – also known as people, humans, us – are the greatest barrier for organisations to become data-driven? What are we missing? And what should we do differently?
A culture problem needs a human solution. It’s not (just) about the technology.
Think about an app you use everyday, something you enjoy using and tell your friends about. You probably didn’t need to attend a 45-minute Zoom webinar about why you should use it, or read a 30-page instruction manual before getting started.
But this torture is often exactly what we inflict on our users when data projects are technology-led, not human-focused. We make mistakes – big ones – when we stop thinking about the people, the humans. It’s why only 20% of data projects are expected to deliver any value. It’s 2022, and this is not ok. We can do better.
Below are ten practical suggestions to help you think about the human side of data projects.
Work with what you have
The people who work at your organisation are data-driven – because we all are. They aren’t necessarily data-driven in the ways you’d like them to be, and they’re probably not using the tools you spent time procuring. If you want a change in direction or approach, you need to meet them where they are, understand their processes, frustrations, goals – but most importantly their fears.
Every business has a James. His trusty Excel spreadsheet has served him perfectly well for the last six years thank you very much. It’s easy to access, familiar, and reliable. He knows what every number means, and he can point back to the system it came from if he’s ever asked. He’s been able to answer almost every question his boss has. In most businesses, James doesn’t find out about a data project until it’s too late and he’s worried about losing his job. He probably can’t derail your plans, but he can make your goals much harder to achieve.
1 Identify and involve operational data people as early as possible. Treat them as strategic partners – because they are. Ask for input, and share your concerns, vulnerabilities, and knowledge gaps. Make it safe for them to not know the answer by modelling that yourself. This has a chemical impact on the brain – it stimulates oxytocin production in others, increasing levels of trust and cooperation.
2 Activate your systemic perception. Understand that what you see and hear is likely to be a symptom of deeper concerns, wrapped up in emotional threat responses. If you can empathise and explore the discomfort they’re feeling, you’ll learn a lot about what they are seeking to protect, and what they value and why. These teams can help you plan for operational reality. Listen, learn, reflect, replay.
3 Understand the difference between substantive and emotional resistance, and don’t confuse the two. James may well fear losing his job, but that doesn’t mean his assessment of the accuracy of the numbers is incorrect. It’s easy and human to want to dig in – especially later in the process – but don’t. Better to correct course now than lose another month.
4 Be as candid as possible. Sometimes one of the results of a data project is a restructure, and sometimes restructures mean redundancies. People know this, and it’s ok to acknowledge that the risk is real. Uncertainty, especially false reassurance, leads to chronic stress. Multiple things can be true at once: nothing is certain AND there is always room at good companies for good people who can adapt, learn, and seize opportunities.
Keep it simple
The Lake, Warehouse and Factory surrounded by Snowflakes in an Azure Cloud next to the Amazon sounds like nonsense to regular humans. When you’re talking to business users, ditch the jargon, and communicate in English.
5 Start with why: what problem are you solving and for whom? Why should they care? If you can’t answer these in a couple of sentences, you don’t understand the problem, solution, or audience well enough, and you need to go back to basics until you do.
6 If you’re tempted to list a set of priorities, don’t. You need a single primary objective. Without this, by definition, you have competing objectives. At best this is inefficient, at worst it is self-defeating. Business units and frontline staff will end up guessing what to prioritise, or kick otherwise small decisions up to leadership. You don’t have time for this (and it’s not much fun).
7 Invest time and energy into your advocates – and over-communicate. It’s your job to keep your team focused and on track. But it’s also your job to have their backs and remind them of the progress you’ve made together. Don’t lose sight of the vision or the goal, and remember why you believe in the power of data to transform. Share that joy and message often. It’s contagious – especially on the bad days, and especially when it’s the last thing you want to do. And don’t forget – people need to hear a message at least six times for it to sink in. If you’re not repeating your “why” enough to annoy yourself, then you’re not saying it often enough to the people who matter.
Small changes > Big changes
Incremental small improvements are far better than nothing for three years and then a big change. It’s easier to implement and iterate technical solutions as context changes, and it’s also psychologically safer for the people involved. Agility gives you more opportunities to demonstrate the insights to impact path, and celebrate success.
8 Reward behaviours you want to see – having a go, asking questions, poking – even if they result in errors to begin with. If you make a mistake, own it, and share it as a learning opportunity. Demonstrate the behaviour you want to see. Remember – recognition has the largest effect when it occurs immediately after an achievement, and when it’s tangible, unexpected, personal, and public. A fast failure can be an achievement too!
9 Avoid mandates where possible. These feel like a violation of autonomy, which is one of the five most important intrinsic drivers of threat and reward in the brain. You’ll be working with, rather than against, the brain if you focus on improvements over punishment. If you can be flexible on something, be flexible. Accept trade-offs and compromise when it’s trivial to build goodwill for when it’s not. “Yes, and” is a great phrase and much better than “Yes, but”.
10 Take the next right step. You need to know what problem you’re solving, and why a future without that problem matters. That’s your vision. You don’t need to know exactly what the solution will look like in three years’ time – even if you tried, it would be a guess at best. Focus your energy on making the next right decision, based on what you know now about the business, the people, the market, the context.
Transformation is hard, but we can make it much easier for ourselves with simple changes that put people front and centre. Data is fun, it’s liberating, and the insights can be game-changing. So keep your joy and enthusiasm – you’ll be surprised by the impact on your people, and by how much more remarkable the results are for your business.
