Building a Data Culture: The Usage and Flow Data Culture Model

This book serves as an essential resource for Chief Data Officers facing the common challenge of achieving full adoption of their data governance programs. While these leaders often focus on assessing their data governance initiatives in terms of people, processes, and technology, the ultimate success lies in cultivating a data culture. This objective is masterfully addressed through Gary Griffin and David Holcomb’s Usage and Flow Data Culture Model.

– Peggy K. Tsai, Chief Data Officer, BigID and Adjunct Faculty, Carnegie Mellon University, Chief Data and Analytics Officer Program, Heinz College

Thank goodness for Gary Griffin and David Holcomb. In their new book, Building a Data Culture: The Usage and Flow Data Culture Model, Griffin and Holcomb dig deep to present a highly practical and systematic roadmap for building a workable and lasting data culture that will deliver value from data investments. Long overdue. Highly readable, and badly needed!

– Randy Bean, author of Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Lessons in Data Driven Leadership in an Age of Disruption, Big Data, and AI; contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

This important book is the kind that should be read from start to finish, highlighted and tabbed and referred back to again and again as the organization and the environment in which it operates shifts and changes. What works for one organization is not necessarily appropriate for another, but data culture is just as important to an organization that values security, standardization and incremental change as it is to one that prioritizes innovation and risk taking. Gary Griffin and David Holcomb have given us a book that enables all types of organizations to benefit from building a data culture that aligns with its strategy and values.

– Linda Jantzen, Professor, College of Information and Cyberspace, Chief Data Officer graduate certificate program.

Gary W. Griffin & David Holcomb leveraged their vast knowledge and experience to finally answer the question, “Why is our organization still making decisions based on intuition?” The book overlays an organizational culture viewpoint on the underlying investments made on data infrastructure. Using the UFDCM, enterprises and institutions can finally understand how people use data and seek opportunities to align culture with decision-making based on data. I can’t wait to see how the UFDCM will impact industries of all kinds, as we all embrace how data impacts our daily lives.

– Richard J. Reese

So, how can an organization build a data culture? To answer this important question, this book Building a Data Culture: The Usage and Flow Data Culture Model by Gary Griffin and David Holcomb is a very practical and useful book. It delves into the data culture principles, patterns, strategies, and best practices to enable organizations to harness the power of data to drive innovation, make informed decisions, measure business performance, and deliver business value.

– Prashanth Southekal,PhD,MBA,ICD.D, Founder and Managing Principal, DBP Institute, Professor at IE Business School, Spain

Great book, lots of awesome content for driving an organization forward in building a data centric culture. Wish I would have had this book to share with the C-suite and execs that I was working with on my last project. Would have made my life so much easier by giving them the information in the book. Will have it ready in my tool kit for projects going forward.

– Max Mogenis, Enterprise Data Architect

Building a Data Culture isn’t just a one-time read; it’s a compass guiding current roles and future endeavors. It serves as the foundational cornerstone for organizations, shaping their identity and strategies toward growth, innovation, and operational excellence

– Don Cox, CIO and CISO – Healthcare, Education, and Government

Building a Data Culture is a timely and insightful read. Whether you’re just starting to shape your organization’s data culture or seeking to enhance an existing one, this book provides valuable guidance and wisdom. Griffin and Holcomb’s emphasis on the foundational elements of a data culture serves as a crucial reminder for organizations to ensure they are on the right track.

– Charles Nelles

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, organizations face an ever-increasing volume of data that holds immense potential for driving business success. However, many businesses struggle to harness this potential. This book is a comprehensive guide that unveils the transformative power of data and provides actionable insights to cultivate a data-driven organizational culture.

The book emphasizes data strategy and data governance’s pivotal role in cultivating a mature data culture using practical insights, frameworks, and best practices. This approach ensures robust data culture structures that uphold data integrity, accessibility, and accountability. These structures operate through analytics, literacy, governance, process management, and data inventory management.

Behind all of this lies the authors’ groundbreaking Usage and Flow Data Culture Model, a unique framework that enables organizations to evaluate and reshape their data culture based on distinct cultural types: Preservationist, Protectionist, Traditional, and Progressive. Building a Data Culture carefully dissects these cultural types, revealing the associated challenges and opportunities, and uncovering suitable strategies in the process.