We all know the Cinderella story, so I won’t go into detail or try to summarise it for you. I will assume that everyone has a general understanding of it, even if they’ve never read it. Well, if you need a refresher, ask ChatGPT or Copilot!
I think our attitude towards data very much mirrors the Cinderella story. In business, we have the Datarella story: We treat our data really badly and then, with a magic wand, we send it to ‘the ball’ expecting miracles. We sprinkle a little AI dust and hope for the best, but it’s still the same old data and no matter how much magic dust we apply, it doesn’t make any difference. Without changing our attitude towards data, how we treat, manage, and govern it, no amount of data science or advanced analytics will drive our organisations forward. We won’t become more competitive, successful, effective, efficient, enjoyable to work for, or profitable. Whatever our organisational goal is, without this fundamental shift, no magic dust will help us achieve these outcomes – to get our prince charming, the reward. You may argue that Cinderella got her prince even with her stepmother and stepsisters’ lack of behavioural change. But hey, that’s just a fairy tale – who believes in it anyway?
So, how do we change our attitude towards data and unleash the holy grail of data science and advanced analytics? Let’s go back to basics, starting with our data culture. I do want to manage your expectations, so let me be absolutely clear. I’m not here to tell you what your data culture is and how you should approach the change. However, I will help you to formulate your thoughts and provide you with some simple steps to follow and some questions to answer to support you on your journey in defining and building a mature data culture in your organisation.
