The CDO Midwest Summit hosted by CDO magazine and Comspark brings together data leaders to discuss everything data. In “How to Become a Data Literacy Champion,”the following panelists discuss the various facets of championing data literacy across organizations:

• Kasara Weinrich, ADP, Principal Consultant, Innovation Leader – Future of Work

• Dan Whitacre, Senior Director, Kroger Labs & Transformation, Kroger

• George Casey, Principal, Data Scientist, RSM

• Ashley Loveless, Data Architect & Sr. Business Intelligence Manager, White Castle

Christine Zmich, RSM Business Development Director, moderates the session.

Casey opens the session by stating the importance of encouraging data curiosity by utilizing the proper skill sets and analyzing data to extract value for the business. Weinrich asserts that team members must be aware of their role in helping a company become data-driven. 

According to Whitacre, data champions must take the initiative to develop convincing arguments for stakeholders to join their data program. He suggests involving data executives at both ends of the organization to implement a data program. 

Weinrich describes how her organization’s HR department is becoming a strategic pillar due to a growing interest in data. She advises talent acquisition professionals to hire data-literate people as an alternative strategy for promoting data literacy. Whitacre notes that having a list of questions based on data, and working with teams to address them, promotes data curiosity.

For Weinrich, it’s essential to give people a chance to ask questions so that data literacy initiatives may be developed. She also promotes diversity within the group to help determine whether decisions are made using data at every level of the organization.

Casey describes obstacles as "interesting" and remarks on the workforce generation gap and how to balance it while showcasing tools’ usefulness. "Machine learning and artificial intelligence are not necessarily replacing the manager or the judgment,” he adds. “It ensures the data has a seat at the table.”

Introducing a data literacy program asks for change, and “…organizations are relentless about operational efficiency," Whitacre says. He maintains that the explanation of three elements convinces people to accept the change:

1. An increase in revenue

2. Cost reduction

3. Risk mitigation

Next, Loveless advises "push testing," which involves introducing a product to a particular section of the company to measure the rise in sales. If it succeeds, it serves as a model for the rest of the organization and highlights the value of data.

Similarly, for Weinrich, executives who make data-driven decisions enable their organizations to become future-ready. Casey focuses on identifying worthwhile chances, exercising, designing the process, understanding data, assessing, and lastly, considering buy-in and adoption to foster corporate data curiosity.

Allowing people to understand that they regularly make data-driven decisions is essential, in Weinrich’s opinion.

In his approach, Whitacre focuses on using technology to generate curiosity for various types of data. “If you walk into Kroger Labs today, you will find about 10 big screens playing a video analytics project, an artificial intelligence project, a digital store, an avatar talking to you, and different kinds of sensors,” he explains. “My goal is to spark curiosity.”

Loveless adds, “Our role in the company being the BI group, is providing that data and making sure that they are curious about it and want the information from us.”

Whitacre poses the following two conditions related to innovation:

1. Value derivation from a job well done

2. Probabilities and timeline of succession

A key obstacle to fostering data literacy in the workforce is the persistent technology gap, says Loveless. As a solution, he concurs with choosing a platform like Excel that is system-wide accessible and not restricted to one or two people.

Furthermore, Weinrich states, “The organization of the future is going to be skills-based. Forty percent of searches that are happening on LinkedIn are skills-based, not title-based. So when you look at upskilling your workforce, it is simply saying we are making you future-ready.”

In conclusion, Casey says he believes that motivating employees to use the tools to improve organizational value is the real challenge. He notes, “If people have a good incentive to try to use these tools, the organization’s return on investment for teaching them those tools will be tremendous.”

 Watch other CDO Midwest Summit 2022 sessions HERE