Data Governance Matters

Dictatorships and Data Governance

Recently a guy who was studying different approaches to Data Governance and Stewardship slid a piece of paper across the table from me. It was a picture of the components of the DGI Data Governance Framework.

Here, he said, pointing to the section that calls out accountabilities and controls. This is what I found attractive, because it’s so actionable. But what else should I be noticing? What sets this framework apart?

I circled the Decision Rights component and the Data Stakeholders component. These, I said. The framework is postulated on the idea that before data-related decisions are made, those who have a stake in them will agree on HOW to make those decisions.

He looked puzzled, so I continued. It’s not like you have a democracy, I said. Some decisions – especially ones with legal and compliance ramifications – will need to be made by top leadership, with no arguments from others. But other types of decisions – like where to pull data from in a particular business process, or the best way to structure data so as to cause the fewest problems for downstream users of that information – well, those are “gray area” decisions with lots of stakeholders. I’d hate to be the Data Dictator who tried to dictate a solution to all of them! I concluded.

Why? He asked. I’d think some people would like being a dictator – making everyone else respect their authority. I know she – he said, nodding toward a woman we’d been talking with – has been joking that she’d like to be our ‘Data Czar.’ We’ve been joking about whether to get her a tiara or a whip!

I had to laugh. Both pictures were pretty funny. But then we got serious again. I already had that talk with her, I said. I asked if she liked working here and how long she was hoping to stay.

He cocked an eyebrow. Why? he asked.

Think about it, I suggested. What usually happens to dictators?