Many business leaders agree that data is their valuable intellectual property. Meanwhile a considerable part of them either don’t have an exhaustive understanding of its value or don’t know how to arrange data governance correctly. Chaotic investments in advanced technologies implantation don’t solve a problem and sometimes it aggravates the situation.

Don’t forget that data governance is a process but not a software tool. The stuff plays the key role in any processes and specifically in data governance. According to «Big Data and AI executive survey» report 93% of respondents considered people as the biggest obstacle to data governance; 40,3% of respondents cited a lack of organizational alignment as their main problem; 24% of respondents identified cultural resistance as a leading factor in failing to adopt data governance.

Many companies still view data as a byproduct of business processes and they lose possible benefits because of proper analytic resources lack inside company. Only a few organizations use data to diversify business models for effectiveness improvement and new solutions generating. That’s why company management should pay more attention to human resource, education and cultural and behavioral changes.

Why does a human factor have a strong impact on data governance?

This situation is due to the human nature of resistance to any changes. According to business coach Tony Robbins assertion 92% of the 17 million people who try to quit smoking fail; 95% of people who lose weight can’t keep longterm result. Only 10% of people have exact goals and 70% of them can achieve their goals. Furthermore, there are 2 motivating forces for human: to avoid pain and to get pleasure. And the process of learned behavior changing is not always about it.

What solution can be good?

Data governance implementation has to be planned properly and DataLabs team can help to solve this task. Also, it needs to run parallel with the implementation of corporate changing system. System includes common vision for change, strong leadership to communicate this vision, educational strategy for employees and other stakeholders, «plan B» in case of unexpected circumstances and rewards.

Human resistance problems are solved individually in each case. But the important management task is to arrange a favorable environment for employees specifically:

• to define goals and delate it to the stuff;
• to create a simple and understandable step-by-step script of changing;
• to arrange accessible communication with management to discuss process problems and complexities to avoid event disruption;
• to identify rewards options for temporary difficulties and overwork.