Workplaces are evolving at a lightning pace. Digital, tech, and AI tools, like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, are transforming working practices. Teams are collaborating remotely via digital channels, and organisations are capturing and storing increasing volumes of data.
Traditional leadership skills will always be essential for team management, but they are no longer enough to drive improvements in organisational performance and growth.
I work with a large number of FTSE-250 businesses across multiple sectors, and we’re seeing a growing demand for data-driven leadership. Today’s effective leaders need to draw on a fusion of ‘human’ leadership skills, such as communication, accountability, empathy, and strategic thinking, coupled with data-driven decision-making. Organisations that fail to upskill senior managers in data literacy, competence, and confidence risk being left behind.
The future of leadership is data-driven
Businesses are increasingly embracing digital transformation. We polled HR leaders about their plans to introduce AI and data technologies into their workplaces earlier this year. We found that nearly 60% of HR leaders say their business has either started to integrate AI technology into the workplace (11%) or is fully prepared to start integrating AI (48%). Less than one in ten (9%) say their organisation is unprepared for integrating AI technology into the business.
But with this roll-out of data-enabled technologies comes a greater requirement for data literacy across the entire workforce, and at all levels. Just as importantly, this transformation is also driving a greater need for data-driven leadership and a data culture to be embedded from the top down.
As the concept of a data-driven culture is still in its infancy, many companies are struggling to find senior talent that possess the dual skills of technical abilities to make informed decisions based on data and fundamental leadership and management expertise. Worryingly, only 24% of business decision-makers are viewed as data literate. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that it is nearly impossible for organisations to hire their way out of this issue, as the demand for such talent far outstrips the supply.
In partnership with Imperial College London, we provide a Data-driven Leadership apprenticeship programme to upskill managers and leaders with the critical data skills they need to lead – and thrive in – today’s workplace. Learners discover how to harness insights from data to achieve better business performance, hone skills that enable them to improve digital and data security, develop better communicate data storytelling to embed a data-led culture, and lead data and digital transformation strategies that reduce costs and deliver high impact.
Championing data-driven leadership
As well as delivering training in data-driven leadership for future-facing organisations across both the private and public sector, we have also created the Data-Driven Leader Awards. These are the first industry awards to celebrate inspirational leaders and managers who combine great leadership skills and an innovative data-led approach, and are open to nominees from all sectors, at all levels of their career.
Our 2024 award winners’ innovative approaches and excellence in their roles serve as inspiration to other businesses and organisations to embrace and champion data-driven leaders. One winner is an NHS Trust digital clinical practice educator who has led a data project that improved medication scanning rates at their hospital and launched training for over 1,000 colleagues in digital literacy, directly benefiting patient care. Another winner is an insurance sector data team who spearheaded a culture change in their organisation by creating a positive data-driven company environment.
Data-driven workplaces are here to stay. We need to support today’s and tomorrow’s leaders to upskill in data-driven decision-making so they can successfully lead their organisation’s transformation, performance and growth.
By James Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Corndel