Businesses across the globe have had to rapidly adapt to an uncertain market landscape in the wake of COVID-19. To stay afloat and compete in this new reality, organizations must make data-driven decisions. However, a lack of data literacy can prevent businesses from unlocking the full potential of their data.
Qlik and Accenture are addressing this challenge with “The Seven Principles of Data Literacy: A Blueprint to Accelerate your Business Toward its Data-Driven Future.” This document provides a comprehensive overview of the steps needed to develop a data-literate workforce.
This blueprint aims to help organizations increase data-driven decision-making by 58%. By following the principles in this document, both companies claim that companies can empower their employees to make data-informed decisions that lead to positive outcomes.
"Notably, the blueprint does not focus on steps, but on principles, as the journey to data literacy is not linear; it may weave, pause and change direction — like all journeys do. But getting started on that journey is what’s important. Increasing numbers of organizations are moving away from the passive consumption of data and analytics to a more active relationship with data that drives context-rich, real-time insights for more informed decision-making,” said Paul Barth, Qlik’s global head of data literacy.
“But to make that shift impactful, employees need to have the skills to be able to work with and make smarter decisions with data. And while the journey will look different for everyone, following these seven principles will put leaders on track to building a successful, data-driven organization," added Barth.
The principles are as follows:
Foster a culture of humility and curiosity where everyone is confident to question data and insights.
Put training into practice by empowering employees to use their skills every day.
Be inclusive in offering training to everyone, from the intern to the CEO.
Focus on outcomes by being clear on the problem you want to solve.
Measure the impact on employee satisfaction and engagement in training. And longer-term on the ROI on the business.
Adopt a systemic perspective that encourages conversation and collaboration between different departments.
Invest in technology that meets both the user and your business’s needs.
With as much as 90% of business leaders saying that data was critical to the success of their organization during the pandemic, Qlik and Accenture believe that data literacy will become the most in-demand skill by 2030.
“There’s no doubt that data literacy is a vital skill for the future. Believing that and putting in the investment, however, are two different things, particularly when it requires cultural and behavioral change alongside upskilling,” said David Miller, Accenture’s European and the U.K. augmented insights lead for applied intelligence delivery.
Qlik and Accenture found that over nine in ten data literate employees reviewed and used data to inform their decisions (95%). A similar number said their actions were often triggered by data insights (89%). In contrast, only 41% of employees who were not data literate used data in their decision-making.
“Every organization has different goals and approaches. But success comes when everyone is empowered to think differently, use data to gain new insights, and make smarter decisions, and when a culture of curiosity, intellectual humility, and data decision-making becomes part of the fabric of the organization. At that point, data really does become a language of business that everyone speaks,” Miller added.