(US and Canada) In its inaugural Data Maturity Index, Carruthers and Jackson, the global data consultancy, reveals significant progress for data maturity regarding tech investment and clear areas for improvement in data literacy and governance. Following interviews with hundreds of data leaders worldwide, the Index finds that 62% believe most employees in their organization are not data literate, presenting the biggest barrier to data transformation.

Based on the four sections of the Carruthers and Jackson Data Maturity Model — People, Purpose, Method, Tools — the Data Maturity Index is a first-of-its-kind annual survey of hundreds of data leaders, designed to provide ongoing insight into how those with strategic responsibility for data perceive the true state of data maturity in their organizations. 

Establishing clear data leadership roles is critical for addressing challenges associated with improving data literacy. However, Index findings reveal that while over half of organizations are formalizing data responsibility roles, nearly a third of organizations (31%) have either unclear data roles and responsibilities or no formalized data roles and responsibilities. The government immaturity within organizations, also revealed by the Index, provides context, with findings showing that 40% of organizations currently have little or no data governance framework. 

“Despite it being a near-universally acknowledged truth that successful, modern businesses need to use their data effectively, our first Data Maturity Index reveals that organizations are still falling short when it comes to data operations,” says Caroline Carruthers, CEO and co-founder of Carruthers and Jackson. “Having worked with hundreds of organizations to support their data transformations, we wanted to use our model to understand what’s really going on and share this information with the community. The most important takeaway is that data leaders need more support to ensure existing employees understand what data can do for them and their departments. This is critical before a data transformation can take place; team members at every level of an organization must have the foundational ability to understand, work with, analyze, and communicate with data.”

The Data Maturity Index will be top of the agenda at the 2023 Data Leaders Summer School, an annual 10-week virtual course starting June 29. Now in its sixth year, the course offers aspiring data leaders practical advice on their data operations and fosters a community of learning and best-practice for the next generation of CDOs. The course will draw insights from the Carruthers and Jackson Data Maturity Index and leading data experts, including Caroline Carruthers, Peter Jackson, and various expert guest speakers from IBM, Microsoft, Immuta, and Corndel, who are sponsoring this year’s Summer School.

The entire Data Maturity Index can be downloaded here. Data Leaders Summer School applications can be submitted via this link until May 31.