A Model For Creating A Data-Driven Culture

Over the past decade, firms have taken the plunge to become data-driven. They have amassed data, invested in technologies, and paid handsomely for analytical talent. Yet for many, a strong, data-driven culture remains elusive, and data is not universally used for decision making. Too often, this plunge has not yet paid off.

Why is it so hard?

In his recent Harvard Business Review article, "Ten Steps to Creating a Data-Driven Culture," David Waller writes, "The business obstacles to creating data-based businesses aren't technical; they're cultural."

On August 19, David Waller—Head of Data Science and Engineering at Oliver Wyman Digital—led a live, interactive webinar hosted by Harvard Business Review. He discusses challenges companies face in shifting to a data-driven mindset and shares ten data commandments to create and sustain a culture with data at its core.

Among the ten commandments David discusses are:

• A data-driven culture starts at the (very) top
• Don't pigeon hole your data scientists
• Make proofs of concept simple and robust, not fancy and brittle

In this webinar, David covers each of these data commandments, explains why they are so important, and provides examples of companies following these commandments to create data-driven cultures.

Just aspiring to be data-driven is not enough. Companies need to take concrete steps to develop cultures in which this mindset can flourish. To learn more about how to create a more data-driven culture in your organization watch the webinar recording below.

This webinar first appeared on Harvard Business Review on August 19, 2020. 

It is posted with permission of Harvard Business Publishing. Any further copying, distribution, or use is prohibited without written consent from HBP - permissions@harvardbusiness.org.