In a world where data reigns supreme, it's no wonder that companies are placing an increased emphasis on the data literacy of their workforce. Knowing that your employees ought to be data literate is one thing, however, ensuring that their data literacy skills are up to scratch is quite another.
With that in mind, we've put together this article on how workplace leaders can better implement data systems so that their employees can always be making smarter, better-informed decisions, as well as understanding the benefits of doing so.
Why should you introduce data literacy programs?
Data literacy refers to someone's ability to interpret, use and communicate with data, and in today's data-rich world - that's critical. Unlike previously, where data management was purely the role of a company's IT teams, these days, teams and departments across the whole company are all expected to be able to work with data to at least a basic level of knowledge, no matter their job role.
A more data-literate workforce is able to make smarter decisions without the need to bring in data scientists at every turn. What's more, leveraging data literacy within a company's teams not only streamlines an organisation but also leads to greater innovation, too.
Why? Because what you're doing by establishing data literacy is enabling the more creative decision-makers within a company to incorporate the data at their disposal into their strategic planning and choices.
Before, data and creativity were seen as wholly separate areas of a company. By establishing a data literacy program, however, they become easier to integrate. True innovation stems from abstract, out-of-the-box thinking that's informed by data. That's what data literacy training offers you – the merging of quantitative and qualitative areas.
How can companies improve data literacy skills?
A business could choose to invest in data literacy education by way of getting its data teams to conduct training sessions for other departments within the company. In reality, though, this is an inefficient use of your data teams' time, and hinges on the data scientists within those teams being naturally good teachers/communicators, which isn't always the case.
That's not to say, of course, that there's no place for training sessions and teaching when it comes to data literacy, there just first has to be an understanding (on the part of the people being taught) of the need for data literacy. How is it going to benefit them and their processes moving forward? In other words, it's easier to teach people that want to be taught.
What's more, teaching has to revolve around a framework and core data principles, as opposed to the odd sporadic class or courses here and there. That's not going to encourage much buy-in from your employees. As much as anything else, what you need to develop is a data culture.
How to implement a data literacy framework
So, what's the best way to go about implementing a company-wide data literacy framework?
1. Start with the basics of data science
Well, the first thing to do is introduce the broad strokes; the concepts and the ideas that shape data usage and analysis. If you unleash the data itself on your employees before you do the guiding principles, then it's a bit like trying to teach someone to run before they can walk.
By establishing strong data foundations, not only will your current workforce be able to work with data better, but they themselves will also be able to more easily convey those ideas and principles to new hires down the line.
2. Teach what's needed and don't overwhelm
There's no getting around it, the world of data can be pretty obscure, jargon-heavy and inaccessible. That's why there's no harm in stripping away the more overly technical aspects of the data world and just teaching your employees the data techniques that will actually be practical to them.
One of the biggest obstacles in building a data culture and a data literacy framework is making the world of data seem more accessible. So, when you're trying to convey more technical data concepts, look to use language that everybody will understand.
When thinking about how you're going to teach those concepts, a good question to have at the centre of your mind is, "will the least data-literate employee understand this?". You might choose to use graphical representations or a specific business case as tools to create understanding from a human impact point of view.
Clearly, there are times when the data techniques you're teaching will inevitably be more complex, and certain, less data-literate staff members will struggle. However, if you follow that general rule, aiming your guidance at the less technologically-versed, then you ensure that the data skills you're communicating will be understood by as many employees as possible.
On the other hand, if you bombard your teams with postgraduate-level data methodologies, then you won't be converting them to the idea that working with data is easy, and that it will help them in their daily work. In fact, if anything, you'll only make them adhere even more strictly to their current form of working; that's to say, without making proper use of data.
3. Consistency is key to a data-driven culture
In order to implement a data-driven culture that lasts, you need to be consistent. It's all very well dedicating one week per year to the wonders of data analysis, offering workshops, and intensive skills development programs, but if that's all you're offering, the drop-off in the utilisation of those skills will likely be high.
By teaching data principles and techniques in smaller chunks but more regularly, however, you continually reinforce those principles and teach your employees the data skills needed in a way that doesn't overwhelm them. In doing so, you'll soon have a workforce that can leverage data to their advantage, and not just the organisation's data scientists.
Address the data literacy crisis
If you think you or your company could benefit from the competitive edge of data analysis within the workplace, then why not consider a short course or microcredential with UTS Open? Our "Data Literacy: Telling Data Stories" microcredential is the perfect starting point to introduce that data literacy framework you've been after.
Final thoughts on data literacy
Company-wide data literacy requires buy-in from the entire organisation, and to do that, business leaders must ensure the data-oriented approach they're touting is taught in an easy-to-understand, accessible way, and that in order to successfully introduce such a framework, consistency is critical.
Discover our full range of data science and analytics courses, here.
