Encouraging organisation leaders, colleagues and stakeholders to adopt better approaches towards data can be a challenge – data is often seen as an irritant, not urgent, somebody else’s problem etc. Many also, incorrectly, think that “AI” (or some other clever software) can fix all your data problems, so why worry?
A regular theme of this blog relates to how you engage with colleagues to encourage/ promote better approaches towards data. This post suggests that you channel your inner “data cat”. Read on to learn what this means.
At the rear of our office is a small car park shared between the various offices in the development and backing onto a number of houses. There is also a busy footpath through the car park from the car park of a large supermarket to the city centre. This is the domain of NeedyCat.
NeedyCat has perfected a loud whine/ miaow that ensures everyone in the offices and people walking by know they are there – this often successfully gets attention from passers by.
NeedyCat also has learned where to sit and wait for victims – under the archway into the car park, in the middle of the roadway in the car park or on top of the wall by the pathway. All these locations are chosen to maximise the chance of attention. Failing to move for cars trying to leave the car park is very successful for NeedyCat.
NeedyCat also keeps an eye on people working in the offices – leave a window open and NeedyCat will either sit underneath miaowing to be noticed or try and get in through the open window. Lights on in the early evening? Then NeedyCat has potential targets to get attention.
All these tactics working together mean that NeedyCat manages to get lots of strokes and attention even if their owner is not around.
So, what has this to do with data?
Data professionals often are trying to change the behaviours of their colleagues to provide better data, understand its quality, use it correctly etc. Often, despite our best intentions, our colleagues quickly revert to their old behaviours.
We perhaps need to copy some of NeedyCats learned behaviours when working with our colleagues to get their attention:
- Think about when to engage with colleagues – the nearer you are to the time when they will/ have updated or used data, the easier to get their attention
- What intervention will get the attention of your colleagues? An email arriving some time after they have interacted with data is too late and too easy to ignore. In person interactions are far more effective – Can you sit in on a team meeting? Observe staff at work? Offer training/ Q&A sessions?
- Choice of ‘tone’ or language used is important – being too assertive may come across as bullying and not have the desired effect, too mild and it may be too easy to ignore
- Consider how can you repeat your message to make sure it is not ignored? Think about the persistence of NeedyCat and the ways advertisers get through to their audiences – different but related adverts, regular repeats, sometimes building on earlier adverts
- Be alert to impromptu opportunities to remind colleagues what they need to do to better provide, use and exploit data. Think about light-heartedly making fun of yourself if people start saying…..
We are not suggesting that channelling your inner data cat means you have to grow fur or whine continually, but instead think about how to develop persistent, timely and effective ways to get your message across.