Data Governance Matters

Consensus Cultures and Data Governance

I get asked a lot to talk to organizations with consensus-based decision-making models. They all want to talk about how they’re different from everyone else, and of course I agree. Every organization is unique. But most such organizations make data-related decisions according to one of a few patterns, or “consensus paths.”

The trick to making good decisions – and decisions that stick – is to understand the consensus path that is successful within your unique culture and environment. Then you can teach your Data Governance staff to be skillful guides, leading their data stakeholders down these paths with confidence.

Does understanding your organization’s preferred consensus path mean that your decisions will be easy? Not always. But making them will probably involve fewer mis-steps. And when your data stakeholders reach the end of the path together, they’ll all know they’ve taken each step of their own accord, willingly and with awareness of each foothold. And that, I believe, is the secret to making decisions that stick in a consensus-based culture.