Collecting data is easy. But data is only as useful as your ability to understand it correctly.

Enter data literacy — it’s the ability to read, understand, communicate, analyse, and extract useful insights from data.

Like any language, it’s only useful when everyone can understand and communicate it.

Instilling data literacy across your workforce is the key to unlocking your company’s maximum potential. Here’s how to go about it.

Begin with ‘why’

The first step is to communicate to your organisation the “why” behind creating a data-driven culture and why it’s vital to the company’s success.

Once the purpose becomes unquestionable, your employees can empower and envision themselves as contributors of data.

Identify data literacy gaps

Building data literacy begins with identifying the existing data skills and gaps within the company. Start by getting each employee to take a data literacy assessment.

From there, companies can agree on the level of data proficiency required for each role and develop a plan to up-skill the workforce.

Tailor the training program

Providing comprehensive data training programs is the only way to boost data literacy within an organisation.

However, your employees can feel overwhelmed and demotivated if they think they need to understand data on every single level. (Remember, not everyone in the company needs to be a data scientist!)

In order to prevent this, tailor the training program to each team or department, and provide data training that is directly relevant to their role.

Offer optional in-depth data training programs for employees that would like to deepen their knowledge.

Develop a common language

Using jargon or inaccurate terms is a recipe for confusion and mistakes with data.

Establishing a standardised common language for talking about data within the organisation is extremely important. This language will act as a framework for the method and format in which data is communicated, stored, processed, and shared.

Make data accessible to everyone

Data democratisation will provide employees with greater opportunities for exploration and discovery. It also fosters innovation and encourages collaboration between departments as everyone has access to the same metrics and data.

Data silos not only lead to poor or misinformed decision-making, but it also creates massive roadblocks.

The Bottom Line

Companies that successfully create a data-literate culture understand that it is an iterative process that takes time.

Identify and prioritise the groups that need training the most, get feedback, and then continuously learn and adjust so you know what’s working and what’s not.

Learn how our data experts at Polar Packet can help to boost the data literacy in your business.