Create a modern culture of data
Put data at the center of how your business works.
Data has never been more important.
The more we understand what's happening right now, the faster we can adapt, and the better we can anticipate future disruptions and opportunities.
Companies that invested in digital tools, advanced analytics, and data literacy have not only navigated the COVID-19 pandemic more successfully—they've empowered more flexible, resilient cultures.
Organizations must pursue opportunities specifically around decisions on enterprise culture changes, business strategy, business model, and organizations to avoid persistent inhibitors to the success of data and analytics.
Data, tools, and technology are nothing without people. People make the culture. And culture makes all the difference.
A modern culture of data is one of experimentation and innovation, where people have the power to accelerate business outcomes with rapid insights. For most companies, that’s a profound shift, so we’ve broken it down to five elements—starting with the vision.
Bold vision
To build a successful culture of data, you need to know where you’re going, how you’ll get there, and why it’s important.
Aligned to the overall corporate strategy—and supported by executive leadership—your bold vision establishes a unifying sense of purpose. Shared goals and objectives across functional areas reinforce the emphasis on collaboration and behavioral change.
Next, your business needs a holistic data foundation that empowers people to see, trust, and use data. The elements that make up this foundation are deeply entwined.
Access & transparency
Make data available to everyone in your organization with an integrated technology architecture and infrastructure. Create flexible, user-friendly systems that allow people to analyze data when and how they need to.
Guardianship
Establish trust in data, tools, and practices—so people can engage with confidence. Data guardianship includes components of data governance, as well as ethics, privacy, security, and regulatory compliance.
Data literacy
Develop the mindsets and skills that drive action. Empower your people to uncover insights, ask questions, think critically, and challenge conclusions with data and experimentation.
Lastly, data must be embedded in ways of working—behaviors and operations across the organization. This final element of the modern culture of data wraps around all the others. When data informs every decision as a matter of course, the culture thrives.
Ways of working
Update your operating model and organizational structure with processes, roles, and responsibilities that support your vision. Upskill and recruit talent, incentivize behaviors, and embed analytics in daily activities.
Data, tools, and technology are nothing without people
At Slalom, we use our Modern Culture of Data framework to help our clients enable everyone in their organization to accelerate business outcomes with rapid insights and achieve the full potential of their investments in data and analytics. Check out our short video series to dive into each of the elements, discover the keys to success, and challenge yourself with big questions.
Let's get started
It’s never too soon to start modernizing your data culture. In 2021, Forrester Research found that insight-driven organizations are 8x more likely to report a growth 20% or more compared to firms in the beginning of their IDB journey. Considering that only a small minority of organizations have achieved the vision of analytics at scale, the ability to ask and answer better questions is an invaluable competitive advantage.
To jumpstart your transformation, Slalom can help you assess your organization's maturity across the five elements of our modern culture of data framework. We offer a range of offerings from strategy workshops to deep-dive assessments, capability definition, and co-creation.
A lot of companies can pull reports, but the biggest value comes when you embed insights into a person’s day-to-day way of working.
Your boldest ambitions, powered by data
Interested in a modern culture of data with Microsoft?
There are many ways to use Microsoft Cloud technologies like Azure, Modern Work, Power Platform to create a modern culture of data! Our experts have partnered with Microsoft Technology Centers to support you on your journey and provide clear solutions for your business.
