How companies benefit from a practiced data culture

Genuine data-driven action requires a distinctive data culture in the company that is lived by all those involved. It creates the reliable basis for data-based processes and decisions. But what is the best way to establish a data culture? The BARC study “Culture Data Survey 23” addresses precisely this question.

Align data strategy and data culture

Access to data as a relevant criterion

One important finding from the study: the topic of data access is particularly relevant for establishing a data culture. 96% of respondents attribute the highest relevance to easy data access when it comes to positively influencing the data culture. In addition, it is important to firmly anchor the data culture in the data strategy.

However, many prerequisites that enable better data access have yet to be created in companies. Data democratization often fails due to a lack of user know-how or simple access methods. More than 50% of survey participants express the wish that corporate data should become more transparent and that data access should be simplified.

Advantages of a data-driven approach

The proportion of companies that say they make mainly or fully data-driven decisions is just under one-third. In contrast, 51% currently still rely on a mixture of data and gut feeling when making decisions.

What can be achieved with consistent use of data? Companies report improved decision-making (49%), optimized processes (37%) and reduced costs (36%). In addition, users hope to gain competitive advantages (58%) and revenue growth (56%) from a better data culture in the future.

Conclusion: Data strategy requires data culture

Anchoring a sustainable data culture is essential for companies to consistently pursue their data strategy. Even the best data strategy will fail if the data culture in the company does not match it. So it’s all about the people who need to change their behavior and mindset to benefit from the ever-increasing amount of data available. This requires a company-wide awareness of the benefits of data and analytics among employees.