Almost 95% of companies believe that data and analytics are essential to their business growth and digital transformation. All around the world, businesses are increasing their spending on analytics. Large enterprises are investing the most in processing capacity and data literacy.
The telecommunications industry is one of the biggest spenders when it comes to increasing their investments in business intelligence. Both advanced and predictive analytics are driving data intelligence among top enterprises. This offers improved efficiency and productivity, supports more effective decision-making, and drives improved financial performance.
While these heavy investments will certainly transform enterprises, your workforce will be left behind without the corresponding skill sets on the ground. Data literacy is key to making the most out of your investments.
Improving the technical know-how of your employees goes hand-in-hand with investments in the related hardware and software. So how can businesses enhance data literacy in the organisation to maximise the potential of their data investments?
1. Improving data literacy with effective change management
As with any change management process, the first step is to outline a plan to enhance employee data literacy. It is essential to engage with staff members from the start. This will ensure that they have appropriate buy-in and understand the benefit of enhancing their data literacy skills.
Around 70% of people are hesitant to leave their comfort zones and try new things. This means that businesses will face resistance when trying to implement new changes unless employees are fully engaged in the process and understand the benefits. Once a clear plan has been established, the data literacy programme can then be implemented.
2. Identify employees to drive your programme
Not all employees are adverse to technological advancements. Some members of staff will naturally gravitate towards new technologies and data tools. Businesses can leverage these interests in tech and identify employees to become the drivers of transformation within the organisation.
It is essential to have clarity around who is in charge of data sets within each department. This will ensure that expertise is filtered to the rest of the organisation, which serves to quickly boost data literacy throughout the company.
3. Training to improve data literacy skills
Apart from informal training and support, companies can also opt for more formalised interventions to upskill staff. Regular training, which can quickly improve internal talent, can form part of the onboarding process where any new member of staff is given the necessary skills to efficiently integrate with the rest of the company.
4. Represent data in an intuitive format
Data can be represented in a variety of ways. Customising how it is visualised can go a long way to supporting your team members in deciphering what analytics tools are suggesting. Intuitive visualisation and data representation, as well as standardising naming conventions, can also improve data literacy among staff members.
5. Customise your data literacy programmes
There is no one size fits all programme that can work for any organisation. Companies need to choose the appropriate interventions to upskill their staff and enhance their ability to interpret what analytics tools are saying.
Not everyone in the company needs to become a data scientist, so targeting data literacy programmes at the right level is key for its success. Establishing a common language and a baseline for employees skills will ensure that no one is left behind.
Data has become the language of business. Enterprises need to empower their workforce with data literacy skills, ensuring workers are confident in their ability to deal with data and information. For more information about our database solutions, please contact us today.
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At 4C Group of Companies, we strive to effect operational changes and cost savings for customers through our iNSight product and associated services. This product’s main function is to re-purpose and deliver business-critical information to a variety of systems and stakeholders.
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