Organizations today have access to data about nearly everything related to their business. This includes customer preferences, operations on the production line, movement of goods through the supply chain, location of field service personnel and an ever-expanding host of other data from numerous sources. The challenge for any organization is how to ensure it will take advantage of all this data to improve operational performance and the bottom line. Doing so clearly requires a data-driven culture throughout the organization. Creating such a culture requires a combination of leadership and technology.
The initial catalyst for a cultural change is a shared view of the importance of data-driven decision- making. Executives can deliver this message directly, but an organization also communicates the priority it places on data-driven decision-making through the data-related actions it takes. For instance, management should ensure that the relevant data useful to the various line of business functions is available throughout the organization. After all, you can’t very well expect data-driven decision making without access to data. And this data should be shared between management and staff so they have access to the same information and can effectively collaborate during the decision-making process.
