Gartner for Data & Analytics Leaders

Becoming a data-driven enterprise requires a data-driven culture. Focusing only on educating business and technical staff in new data and analytics (D&A) skills and competencies will not suffice.

Use Gartner’s data-driven attribute model to begin your transformation journey. This model identifies seven core attributes representing the primary distinctions for the beliefs and behaviors that set data-driven organizations apart from others.

Start by discussing these attributes — literate, intentional, accountable, analytical, innovative, communal and empathetic — and identify the biggest impediments to achieving your goals. Identify what must change in order to use D&A more effectively in the enterprise.

Start a transformation program that is grounded in a modern approach to change management to change prevailing beliefs and behaviors that are hobbling enterprise goals.

Chief data and analytics officers must evolve from the traditional rigidity of annual budget processes common to on-premises deployments and become more financially agile (continuously iterate, optimize and improve). They must be able to flex cloud D&A spend up or down in response to business conditions. To achieve this, it’s critical to take a disciplined approach to assessing opportunities for financial agility. Acting now to classify spend into one of three categories will position the CDAO to move quickly and decisively when budgets become strained and financial resources scarce.

Attract D&A talent from outside the organization by applying nonconventional approaches and creating an attractive corporate culture that prioritizes attributes like work-life balance, skills development and emotional well-being.

Retain D&A talent by creating more balance in the D&A team via diversity of people, roles and development paths. Transition from a predominantly labor-based approach for simple and repetitive tasks to a more automated one, effectively freeing up talent for more challenging endeavors.