“For many companies, a strong data-driven culture remains elusive,” a Harvard Business Review news article writes. Elusive.
This rings true for folks working in the construction industry. The problem is not the desire for streamlined, data-driven behaviors, or even the technology. The major problem actually is the willingness to adapt. Creating new structures, processes, and technologies for data collection is no small effort. It takes a lot of time, planning, and intentional change. Who has time for that?
Cue Covid-19 work stoppage. Work hasn’t stopped completely for all of us, but with supply chain interruptions, everyone is facing a forced slow down of varying degrees.
With work slowed and an uncertain economic outlook across the globe, you can start putting the pieces in place for your company culture to shift in the direction of using data in a bigger way.
Here are 5 steps to help you create a data-driven culture:
- Lead by example: If you want your teams to embrace data, then you must show them how important it is. Set an expectation that decisions must be backed up by data and act on it. When you make decisions, tell them why and let them know it’s not a gut feeling; that you used data to construct a conclusion. HBR says, “The example set by a few at the top can catalyze substantial shifts in company-wide norms.”
- Know what you want to analyze: There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to data gathering, so breaking it down into phases will help the team stay focused on the big picture. Start with the lowest hanging fruit that has the lowest cost of entry. Write down every part of your business that is still tracked or performed manually, and identify which parts would be the easiest and least expensive to migrate into a digital system. Identify a metric that will help you measure if this digital process has saved the company in time and/or dollars.
- And be open about results: There will always be resistance when you ask your team to overhaul the way they work on their day-to-day tasks. Using benchmarks and reporting back to the team on the results of the changes will go a long way to creating buy-in at every level of the organizational chart. Don’t let your employees feel miles away from what you’re trying to get them to embrace.
- Properly time your training: How often do you train your entire team on a new skill or tool, only to have them ask to re-learn about it when the time comes they actually need to use it? Many companies do this – it’s called “big bang” training – and it can be majorly ineffective. Instead of investing the time and money into specialized training for all of your employees at once, select a few who would benefit most right before you roll it out. Data tools can be overwhelming, so allowing small groups to take it on piecemeal might make it easier to digest and create a culture of acceptance.
- Let your team know what’s in it for them: Using data-driven technologies isn’t just a benefit to the bottomline, but to your employees as well. If they know that by adopting these tools they could save time, avoid rework, and have easy access to information they are often seeking, they might look at it as an investment (like you do) rather than a burden.
The Harvard Business Review says that aspiring to have a data-driven culture isn’t enough. You actually have to take steps to develop the data-driven culture so that mindset can thrive. We hope the current slowed environment and these five steps can help get you started towards a data-driven culture.