Some common issues in the D&A sphere are low returns, unclear impact on business goals, and teams that don’t always have the right skills for the job. One of the main reasons for this is too many executives still see data in a limited way, affecting who they hire and what they focus on. In order to see proper results, we need to change how leaders think about data and show how it can genuinely drive success.
It often starts with a somewhat wrong understanding at the top of the food chain. Many CEOs and executives have an outdated or skewed understanding of what data can and should achieve. This starts off the process of data strategy wrong and can ruin potential outcomes.
Making the right decisions when hiring members for the D&A team can make or break the team. An executive’s (possibly wrong) idea about data can lead to hiring based on the wrong criteria, and so as a result, candidates with say technical but perhaps not business-oriented experience may be hired over instead of the right person. This will naturally negatively affect the team’s overall effectiveness.
A mismatch of skills in data teams is another factor. Team leads may set goals for their data teams that focus on building technical infrastructure—like data platforms, warehouses, or lakes, rather than being data-driven to fix business issues. This method means that D&A teams are loaded with building systems instead of providing insights and analytics that may help the company make data-driven business decisions. Because of this, it limits their impact on the company’s success.
People within the data team may voice their opinion about the restricted obligation and may suggest alternative methods or areas of focus on business outcomes rather than infrastructure. Sadly, these suggestions may be ignored, and the executives will look for candidates who will carry out their initial plans.
The usual two-year timeframe kicks in and the top staff are left scratching their heads as to why they are not seeing what they hoped to see by now or their expected ROI. Usually, the only visible outcome of the data investment is the platform the data team were asked to build, rather than any impacts on business performance.
This is usually followed by a frustrated shift of responsibility onto the CIO, as they are knowledgeable on how to build platforms, and the company will only have to fork out one wage rather than two. The company views data initiatives as more technical than strategic. This shift creates a cycle where data is seen as a support function, instead of a core value within the business.
It is a difficult yet important cycle to break, however. There is a strong need for data leaders who can fill the gap between the power of data and successful business outcomes. But this desire has to come from the top and executives need to change how they view data.
Getting all the business executives together along with the data team leaders may allow a conversation to occur whereby they can discuss how data can genuinely lead to desirable business outcomes.
One may find that many executives don’t want to talk about data. The mindset here needs to be changed and data must be positioned as a vital part of business strategy and value creation.
These hurdles within D&A teams will only continue unless top business executives change and develop their understanding of data’s role in business outcomes. A real change can be made once the gap between data team leaders and executives is filled via collaboration, open communication and aligning data strategies with real business needs.
Sophie Muscat
Sophie is our Head of Marketing. She has a wealth of experience in marketing and communications, having driven strategic initiatives and managed direct communications.
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