Being "data-centric", or collecting data, is essential for any future-oriented business, but being "data-centred" is the cornerstone for realizing the full potential of creativity, innovation and new data opportunities through values of human perspective.
Business leaders, executives, and managers are responsible in their organization for creating a data-driven environment that contributes to improving the digitization, agility, resilience, and scalability of the entire organization, which are essential business requirements today. There is a need to use data for strategic purposes that accelerate smart change and innovation.
The best leaders understand that it is not about finding data that supports their methods, but about finding data that supports different ways of thinking. This idea is an example that encourages trust, transparency and a real commitment to smart change, where everyone in the organization has a responsibility and is involved in finding the best data solutions. It must involve its entire workforce in the process of transformation and bridge the gap between technically and commercially oriented people.
How to create a data-oriented organizational structure?
Based on Lenovo's research, for a digital transformation to take hold in an organization, the right structure must be put in place, which can be difficult to implement. 52% of IT managers are optimistic about the ability of new technologies to increase productivity, but only 25% expect that technologies will contribute to the greater complexity of their current infrastructure. Therefore, IT should work closely with management to incorporate a holistic understanding of how data can be used to support the organization in infrastructure development.
Another integral factor in building a data-focused organization is flexibility. Tools such as the cloud are key elements of the transformation, improving the company's operations and maintaining its data infrastructure, platforms and applications. They also improve real-time data processing, which can lead to better analytics-based solutions. Modern data-oriented structures should also be able to support advanced analytics and artificial intelligence solutions so that they can be operated efficiently and thus contribute to data-based transformation.
What skills are needed for everything to work?
Data and technology are the engines of digital transformation, but people are their driving force. Tools and technologies should improve employee roles and replace only those roles that can be automated. Technology and people should not be adversaries, but teammates who work in harmony. Successful scaling of data, analytics, and AI projects require both data science and business-focused skills, including data literacy, data visualization, business knowledge, data engineering, and UX design.
Because technology is only as good as the people who use it, organizations need to connect people to the right technology to get the most out of it. Soft skills are as valuable as hard skills because docile and smart people can learn to keep up with the ever-changing digital workplace and are most likely to gain the right skills for the job.
As Lenovo's experience shows, incorporating the human element into a smart transformation plan to support the necessary change includes:
Technological implementation: Ensure that employees' understanding, training and the use of new technologies are enhanced through appropriate planning and support. Automated AI-based self-service tools that include augmented reality (AR) learning materials can be used.
Fulfilling human potential: IT opportunities that increase a company's responsibility and sustainability should be included in the criteria for selecting technologies.
Inclusive technologies: Users should give priority to helping technologies support the human workforce, increase productivity and build the role that the company wants to play in the future.
Becoming a data-based society is a journey, not a goal. While at first glance, data may seem like the key to unlocking the success of the technology, it's important to look deeper and remember that this is only part of the story. After all, it is people who bring or disrupt the success of digitization and modernization programs. In short, we are behind the success of people and people are the real activators of value.