Defining Data Literacy
The New Language And Enabler Of A Data-Driven Business
Data is the cornerstone of a successful business. Data is driving business transformation, and when used properly can drive growth and increase profit margins. Understanding data, how to use it, and how it supports each element of a business is an important skill to have. As an individual, if data literacy is not something offered within your place of work, it’s up to you to become data literate. Defining data literacy on an individual level is possibly one of the best career moves you can make.
What Is Data Literacy?
Data literacy is the ability to use and understand data effectively and safely. Data can be seen as a common language within a business. It is a seamless thread that organises disparate teams and is also an entry point into many different business units.
In a nutshell, data literacy is:
- Being able to analyze data to prove points or draw conclusions
- Being able to communicate the value of data
- Understanding different sources of data
- How to trust data and evaluate its quality
- Recognizing when data is incorrect, or being misused
- Understanding what each data type means
- How to organize data into a format that is legible, meaningful, and that serves a purpose
- Being able to source and extract data
- How to read data in different graphs, charts, and other formats
Being able to manage and store data effectively
Data is the new language and enabler of a data-driven business. Businesses are starting to rely more on data to analyze their progress, to optimize their operations, and to plot out their future movements. All teams and functions within a business have touchpoints that require the use of data at some stage or another. This means that it’s not only down to data analysts and data scientists to have a knowledge and grasp of data and how to work with it. Many organizations are starting to demand data literacy as a pre-requisite for any and all applications. As a data literate individual, you immediately create more personal prospects and channels for your own progression.
How Can Data Literacy Benefit You As An Individual?
As a modern-day professional, you are responsible for defining how you can add value to the business you work for. If you are a job seeker, you create opportunity by having the necessary data skills to impress your potential future employer. By defining data literacy for yourself, you can create new opportunities to leverage progress in your role and drive better outcomes for the data-driven business as a whole.
Interested in defining data literacy for your personal business role? 14DM offers a unique, focused online course in data literacy that will transform the way you use data in your career.
