Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1471968
CIO GUIDE: REWIRING YOUR CULTURE TO BE DATA-DRIVEN 4 Changing culture is a gradual, incremental process, which means it requires a tremendous amount of institutional fortitude, buttressed by unwavering commitment from the top. To shift culture successfully, organizations need to go beyond traditional C-level sponsorship. Leaders need to engage in their own visible efforts to marry data with core business objectives and showcase the benefits of doing so. Executives also need to take a lead role in promoting data sharing for the good of the collective enterprise, not just to advance the specific objectives of a team, department, or function. Appointing a "single-threaded" executive to lead the charge and carry the messaging is central to driving culture change. This leader could serve in a new role like Chief Data Officer or Chief Analytics Officer or fall under the existing CIO; the key is that they are laser-focused on how to fully leverage data and have the authority and accountability to drive change across the business. Who- ever assumes this role should be well-respected, adept at working across different functions and departments, focused on relationship-building, and, most importantly, be empowered to make decisions that propel organiza- tional change. Some organizations establish a data and analytics Center of Excellence (CoE) to help establish a data-driven culture. But a CoE can easily turn into a fiefdom or just another data silo if its mandate and oversight aren't crystal clear. A successful CoE serves as a way to bring the organization together to share best practices, ideas, and solve problems. It should not become a service bureau where different business stakeholders funnel data-related requests. This role requires a servant leadership mindset, not an executive looking to build a centralized data function with its own headcounts and budget. "They can't be interested in building a data empire for themselves, but rather enabling and driving success for the rest of the company using data," Vachhrajani says. "They are the connective tissue of the company, able to drive and build relationships across the business." If the data leader runs a separate function outside of the IT organization, it's important to forge a strong partnership with IT to facilitate new processes and spearhead a culture makeover. Not only is IT responsi- ble for building the core infrastructure backbone and modern technology capabilities to support transfor- mation, but they are also best situated to have an end-to-end view of business cycles, cross-departmental workflows, and transactional systems. "The CIO partnership is crucial, not just because you want to consume data for AI models or machine learning, but because you also need to make sure the applications, systems, and integration are in place to capture data," Vachhrajani says. Four steps for creating a successful and sustainable data-driven culture Though challenges are numerous and a lot to unpack, many organizations are making notable progress. While there is no one-size- fits-all playbook that guarantees you will move the needle on culture change, focusing on four key areas can get you headed down the right path. Step 1: Move beyond executive sponsorship to executive engagement. 1 2 3 4 What to watch out for 1 2 3 4