Beyond Data for Data People: Empowering the Silent Majority

Today, organisations are racing to have an edge with technology, automation, and data analytics. But true differentiation has little to do with rolling out the most sophisticated tools, because what matters is adoption. This happens by enabling the right skillset, including data literacy, for employees and giving them the support to do so.

We sat down with Katy Gooblar, Director of Education and Greg Freeman, CEO and Founder of Data Literacy Academy to discuss the importance of data literacy beyond the realm of data professionals. They explain how it can unlock game-changing value for every single business, including yours.

The importance of Data Literacy as a competitive advantage

Whether it’s figuring out how to launch an innovative product, improve customer retention or establish new ways of working: your team’s first instinct should be to ask “what does the data tell us?”.

Unfortunately, despite all the chatter about being data-driven, there’s still a massive gap in the daily work of employees and their confidence in using data.

This impacts every part of a business, whether its profitability, innovation or adoption of technology.

As Greg explains, businesses that embrace data literacy early on gain a significant competitive advantage over their peers.

Katy chimes in: "For me, I’ve had a massive realisation since joining Data Literacy Academy. And that is how much influence those that work in the business have over the data culture."

Data professionals and enthusiasts: many are very competent in data skills, while the rest are part of the silent majority. They’re your employees at the front line, and more often than not are not familiar with, or don't have the confidence or the knowledge to leverage data.

A chasm exists in the current state between data savvy and non-data professionals which can limit any organisation’s ability to fully leverage its data investments. Bridging this gap through comprehensive data literacy programmes is crucial for driving true data-driven transformation.

Beyond the data enthusiasts

Katy ponders: "Do all those people who are in those roles really understand how influential they can be?"

So often, data teams are like islands. They’re uncertain how to collaborate more deeply with business teams, and are treated as firefighters of urgent requests. Due to the perceived complexity of their roles, there’s a lack of understanding that keeps teams in siloes. Within most companies, the majority of employees are not aware of how data can influence their everyday work and decision-making.

Engaging the silent majority

For data leaders, there’s a big hurdle of engaging the silent majority – those who don’t naturally gravitate towards data. Data is most likely not seen as something that can help solve employees' problems, or improve their work, so driving widespread adoption and value realisation from data initiatives can be challenging.

Greg shares: "We had the realisation that we perceive someone who engages with the data team as an “average” on the business side. The reality is that most people who do, are in the top 10% of business users.”

This means that the majority won’t realise their own knowledge and communication gaps, because they so rarely interact with this unfamiliar world and language of data.

The value of starting small: find priority use cases

But how do you start to bridge this gap?

Greg’s opinion is that there is a lot of merit in starting from a use case by use case basis and connecting that to your data strategy.

Instead of attempting to implement a comprehensive data strategy from the outset, Greg suggests a more practical approach:

1. Identify priority use cases within specific departments or teams
2. Demonstrate the tangible value of the data and how data literacy connects
3. Build momentum to expand and achieve broader adoption

Addressing data product adoption

Half of the battle is developing data products or solutions. The other half is making sure you achieve successful adaption, so the value you intended is actually derived from it.

This can only happen when people understand their role in engaging with the solution, and how it matters what they put in and get out. This starts by teaching them the right mindset about data, and empowering them to adopt data literacy skills.

By addressing data literacy alongside targeted use cases, businesses can increase the likelihood of effective data product adoption and unlock the full potential of their data investments. And we know that by skipping that step, millions can be wasted away.

Bridging the gap with Data Literacy: The role of education and change management

Katy shares: “We need to help every employee understand the right language and the right communication. The ability to engage is really that first starting point.”

Data literacy education is not solely about teaching technical skills; it's about empowering employees at all levels with the language, communication, and confidence to engage with data meaningfully. This happens by equipping people with accessible and tailored learning experiences.

Building confidence and buy-In

"The whole change management approach to what we do is not widely known, and that's actually the challenging business." - Katy Gooblar

Effective data literacy initiatives require a comprehensive change management strategy. Data Literacy Academy specialises in crafting compelling messages and engaging internal communications to build confidence and buy-in among employees. With the focus on the human side of data transformation, organisations can overcome resistance up front and establish themselves as a data-driven org.

The disconnect between business leaders and Data Literacy

Greg shares a typical anecdote we encounter regularly. "We often hear from people in departments like finance who say: 'Yeah, I'm great. I'm an accountant. I know numbers. But what's data literacy? Why do I now need to use this Power BI tool, I've had my spreadsheet forever?'"

Business leaders, particularly those with long-standing expertise in their fields, may resist the notion of data literacy or perceive it as unnecessary. These mindset barriers and resistance are critical to overcome. As humans, we struggle to embrace change, especially when we feel confident in the current ways of working. But by addressing their specific concerns and challenges, data leaders can gain buy-in and support.

Just as data literacy is essential for frontline employees, it is equally vital for business leaders to embrace this journey. Leaders can showcase the behaviours and mindsets they are looking for in their teams by putting themselves on the same data literacy path.

By embracing data as a team sport, both leaders and their teams can learn how to truly lead a data-driven organisation. And by investing in this people journey, this is what truly gets you ahead of the curve.

Conclusion

In today's data-driven landscape, data literacy is no longer a niche skill reserved for data professionals. It is a major enabler for organisations that want to drive innovation, improve customer satisfaction, and improve their competitive advantage. By empowering employees at all levels with data literacy skills, organisations can unlock the true value of their data investments and foster a culture of data-driven decision-making.

Key takeaways include:

• Data literacy is a significant competitive advantage for organisations willing to embrace it early on.
• Getting the silent majority engaged – the non-data teams – is critical to how you enable widespread data adoption and value creation.
• Starting with targeted use cases and addressing data literacy alongside data product adoption will increase the likelihood of success.
• Building confidence and buy in among employees means teaching them through comprehensive education and change management strategies.
• Data literacy enables enhanced decision-making, problem-solving, customer satisfaction, and innovation.
• For a business to become data-driven, business leaders themselves must become data-literate and are expected to be data-driven leaders.
• Prioritising the people journey and data literacy alongside technological advancements is the true differentiator for organisations striving to stay ahead of the curve.

CDOs and business leaders: A call to action

For Chief Data Officers, data leaders, and business leaders alike, the time to prioritise data literacy is now. By investing in comprehensive data literacy programmes and addressing the needs of both data professionals and non-data professionals, you can unlock game-changing value, avoid the risk of costly tech projects failing adoption and gain a significant competitive advantage.

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