Posts

Do our tools mould our outcomes and decisions?

Image
Day zero of being a #CDO is probably not the best day to ask difficult questions; however, sometimes, there is no better day.  The first question to ask the executive leadership team as you walk around being introduced might be: “What is the one thing that we, as a team and organisation, want our data to drive, deliver or provide?” You might want to wait to ask this question and first determine what tools are being used. This will frame what outcomes and decisions are being supported.  The question and answers allow you to determine if there is an alignment or gap between “What is the one thing that we, as a team and organisation what our data to drive, deliver or provide? ”  and what will happen anyway because of tools, processes and legacy.  One critical aspect of being a #CDO is determining how our processes and methods only enable certain decisions to be made, but we have to unpack legacy. Legacy within this framing is threefold. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. These are:   Deci

What occurs when physical beings transition to information beings?

Image
You are standing in front of Deep Thought , as in the AI in HitchHicker Guide to the Galaxy.  You are tasked with asking the famous question.  “What is the answer to the world, the universe and everything?”  In Douglas Adams original work, Deep Thought responds by saying, “it will take some time”; before coming back sometime later with the answer “42.”  However, this is when data was a statistic, and we were “physical beings” who had not considered what experience would emerge as data became dynamic and we transitioned to “information beings.” In our new context as informational beings, Deep Thought would not just take our question, go off to think about it but would respond.  Deep Thought would do what we do and ask for clarification and to check the understanding of the question. I can imagine Deep Thought asking, “I just wanta check what you mean by ‘the answer to the world the universe and everything’ and do you want a brave answer, comfortable, or courageous answer?  I can do a

The diminishing value of a data set

Image
Source :  worth observing that this Dilbert was 1993 !!!!  Radar and sonar are incredible inventions as they allow us to perceive what cannot be actually seen with the naked eye.  As technology has advance and big data analysis has emerged we have gone from a simple echo to high-quality resolution.  However, the peak value for Radar is that it informs you something is there which requires low resolution and very little data.  As Radar resolution has improved we can get direction and speed which requires a little more time. This new information definitely adds value to any required reactive decision. The identification of what the actual object is through increased resolution has an incremental value but not as much as knowing it is there and what direction at what speed but such information can lead to a better decision but suddenly there is an economics of cost compared to the incremental improvement in outcome.  Knowing what type of bird by species or what plane by manufacturer, doe

What Happens When the (commercial) Model Wins?

Image
source : https://dilbert.com/strip/2021-05-20 The Insurance model wins through fear which makes you play it safe and limit risk; as they only payout for sure bets. The Banking model wins when growth fuels a salary increase and you borrow more than you have or save.  The Food production model wins when you stop cooking and you become addicted to sugar and salt (convenience) as they control all the supply. The Supplements model wins by fear and misinformation because you are not cooking.  The Logistics and transport model wins with long complex supply chains due to higher levels of specialism creating better EOS. The Legal market wins every way no matter what anyone else does, but especially the wealthy. The Pharma Industry wins when you medicate and hide the issue rather than solve root causes. The Consulting market wins because they promote that someone else is winning which drives the fear of losing your job because the banking industry has control by indebtedness of you both.

who wins when our diversity creates less diversity?

The Media wins by playing with us When Education wins, everyone wins I can win but the self interest distroys more We win by being one together in our diversity It is not we lose by doing nothing, someone else gains more Our paradox is that the more diversity we have, the less diverse we become.   

Dashboards - we love them, but why do they love us?

Image
Subject: Agenda item for our away day on strategy and scenarios To: CEO and senior exec team We should congratulate ourselves on the progress made, however as your CDO, I am now going to make a case that we measure too much, have too much data and that as a team, we should reflect on the next thing that data can support us in! We have bought into “Data is the new oil,” and whilst we know the analogy breaks down below the veneer, the message is beautifully simple and has empowered the change to a data and digital business. The global pandemic has accelerated our adoption and transformation, and we are in a better place than March 2020. However, sticking with oil, we know that the extraction process has downsides, including carbon release, messy, and difficulty locating economic wells.   Amongst data’s most significant downsides are legal liabilities, noise and the wrong data.  I can easily hide data’s downsides through dashboards.  Our dashboards are based on trickle-down KPI and obj

In leadership, why is recognising paradox critically important?

Image
Source: Wendy Smith   https://www.learninginnovationslab.org/guest-faculty/ The importance of creating or seeing a paradox is that you can understand that the data and facts being presented to you can lead to the recommendation or conclusion being offered, but equally that the same data and facts can equally lead to a different conclusion.   Our problem is that we are not very good at finding flaws in our own arguments, if for no other reason than they support our incentives and beliefs. We tend to take it personally when someone attacks our logic, beliefs or method, even if they are searching for the paradox. Equally, the person you are about to question reacts just like you do.   Searching for the paradox allows you to see the jumps, assumptions and framing in the logic being presented, which lays bare how our thinking and decisions are being manipulated.  Often it turns out, others are blinded to see one conclusion, and as a leader and executive, your role is to explore and questi