A 4-Step Action Plan
1. LEAD
Data literacy involves more than having a set of skills. It’s a critical part of a culture shift toward data-driven decision making,
and business leaders have key roles to play as sponsors.
Executives
Employees take direction from leaders who signal their commitment to data literacy, from sharing data insights at meetings to participating in training alongside staff.
“It becomes very inspiring when you can show your organization the data and insights that you found and what you did with that information,” said Jennifer Day, vice president of customer strategy and programs at Tableau. “It takes that leadership at the top to make a commitment to data-driven decision making in order to really instill that across the entire organization.”
To develop critical thinking around data, executives might ask questions about how data supported decisions, or they may demonstrate how they used data in their strategic actions.
And publicizing success stories and use cases through internal communications draws focus to how different departments use data.
Frontline Managers
HR Leaders
Managers have a pivotal role in instilling
the day-to-day discipline to use data. They can do this by setting clear team goals for applying data, improving metrics through data-centric decision making and holding their teams accountable for these
defined targets.
Some managers might use dashboards showing participation in training programs or their team’s most commonly accessed data sources to understand how employees use data and to help create individual development plans. Making successful data use a key objective in performance reviews can also incentivize employees to pick up new skills.
And managers who attend training sessions with their teams can learn different ways of thinking about data, which enables them to make suggestions and encourages staff to create specific methods for effective data use.
Recruiting for data skills and
supporting the development of employees are equally vital to having a data-literate workforce.
“Human resources to me is one of the most critical roles with the most impact,” said Sarah Nell-Rodriquez, principal
high-touch success manager at Tableau.
HR managers can ensure that data literacy initiatives upskill employees in critical business areas, address employees’ diverse needs and implement bespoke programs. They can advocate for new roles that develop internal communities and appoint employees who are data champions to help colleagues incorporate data into their daily work.
Executives
Frontline Managers
HR Leaders
Executives
Frontline Managers
HR Leaders
“Leaders can … make sure that people know that data is a part of their culture. ... It’s part of their mission of how they want to move their business forward.”
HEAR MORE from Sarah Nell-Rodriquez, Principal High Touch Success Manager, Tableau