Learning to Love Data Science

Chapter 1. The Culture of Big Data Analytics

Topline Summary

Hollywood loves the myth of a lone scientist working late nights in a dark laboratory on a mysterious island, but the truth is far less melodramatic. Real science is almost always a team sport. Groups of people, collaborating with other groups of people, are the norm in science—and data science is no exception to the rule.

When large groups of people work together for extended periods of time, a culture begins to emerge. This paper, written in the spring of 2013, was an early attempt at describing the people and processes of the emerging culture of data science.

It’s Not Just About Numbers

Today’s conversational buzz around big data analytics tends to hover around three general themes: technology, techniques, and the imagined future (either bright or dystopian) of a society in which big data plays a significant role in everyday life.

Typically missing from the buzz are in-depth discussions about the people and processes—the cultural bedrock—required to build viable frameworks and infrastructures supporting big data initiatives in ordinary organizations.

Thoughtful questions must be asked and thoroughly considered. Who is responsible for launching and leading big data initiatives? Is it the CFO, the CMO, the CIO, or someone else? Who determines the success or failure of a big data project? Does big data require corporate governance? What does a big data project team look like? Is it a mixed group of people with overlapping ...