Fail Fast, Learn Faster

5The Great Challenge: Establishing a Data Culture

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

—Peter Drucker

In speaking with corporate executives about their data challenges, the biggest issues that I hear time and again revolve around cultural and organizational concerns. These include sponsorship and ownership of data-driven initiatives, alignment of business and technology functions, assurance that technology capabilities are effectively mapped to business objectives, and the establishment of standard processes and practices that enable firms to develop a discipline around the use and management of data.

I frequently listen as executives complain or commiserate with one another about their inability to uncover fresh or breakthrough insights fast enough. Common complaints include an “inability to see the forest for the trees,” “being stuck in the weeds,” or suffering from “analysis paralysis.” Achievements are often less publicized, and in many cases remain secret, because for a company to share their story would be to “give things away” or reveal the “secret sauce.”

Albert Einstein is said to have remarked, “The world cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Mainstream companies continue to face ongoing challenges when it comes to adopting Big Data and analytic practices. The greatest challenge for most companies is not due to limitations of technology. Technology is an abundance, but technology can only do so much.

Organizations will continue to be flooded with a ...