Gathering insights from data has been at the core of business functions in the 21st century. Every firm wants to present themselves as “data-driven” to their key stakeholders. But simply collecting data is not enough!
Luckily, most firms make use of their data through intelligent data analysis conducted by their technical staff. However, there is a way to take it one step further: data democratization.
Data democratization is the involvement of all staff of an organization, technical and non-technical, to foster a ‘genuine’ data-driven environment.
For a data-driven culture, the steps mentioned below have to be followed.
Provide Data Access to Relevant Personnel
Making data available and accessible to the relevant personnel is the first step. This is perhaps the most understood and misunderstood portion of the entire process of data democratization.
Most firms simply provide access to data without actually considering how it is being used or by whom. So, while they may have the right intentions, it does not reflect in their approach. Instead, the correct method of providing access is by imagining the perspective of a non-technical staff member examining the data.
With this strategy, the business can develop platforms that feature the representation of data through interactive charts and a user-friendly interface. For a non-technical staff, this would allow them to participate in providing intelligent insights without the need to possess much technical know-how.
Governing Data Democratization
Now the right tools are set in place to enable non-technical staff to understand and learn from that. Before moving on to educating the employees on the platform or data usage, the data must be properly governed.
The accessibility of data to many people leads to the creation of multiple vulnerabilities if security is not properly managed. Governing data means maintaining data confidentiality and integrity without compromising on quality.
Educating the Employees
It is now time to involve the staff, both technical and non-technical. With a broad audience, an appropriate set of measures must be taken to educate them on how to access and utilize data.
The non-technical staff should be taught how to interpret data by using the tools provided by the firm. This can be done through different training sessions or workshops that teach them about the objectives of data democratization, basic to intermediate level statistics, and the software.
Here, the technical staff can be utilized as guides and mentors for the rest. Note that they should not be solely relied on for teaching and instead should be supplementary support. The final outcome should be a situation where individuals can generate reports and provide analytics on their own merit.
Wrapping Up
Reaping the benefits of data democratization seems lucrative while being risky. Every step, from providing access to data to governing the data to educating the workers, must be taken carefully. However, with the right approach, a firm can foster a genuine data-driven culture and enable an innovative attitude in each of their employees.
