Although analytics is at top agenda of every
forward-looking business, most of projects do not achieve the expected
result, what’re the root causes, is it caused by technical challenge or
management difficulty, are managers from Saturn and Analysts from Jupiter? Do the generalists and
specialists have to be that apart? How often do you feel
frustrated and why?
There is distinction between
analytic thinking and analytics. These two concepts are often seen as
"interchangeable". While, they are often overlapping, they are not
necessarily so within all people. One does not need to be a statistician to be
analytical, and not
all trained analysts are analytical. The point is that the effective business
leaders have to be both; being good at analytic thinking, and being creative enough to connect important dots in anlytics.
Leadership effectiveness: The problem is the difference in opinions as
to the value of the analysis and recommendations. Presumption is that analytic
solutions are either under-utilized or under-developed depending on who is
speaking. How do you bridge this gap? How can the solutions be developed to
better take into account the perceptions of the business? How can the business
manager better engage with the perceptions of the Analyst or the staff? When
incompetence rises to the top, it becomes a marshland of opportunity cost. Although
it is understandable that business managers are more concerned with schedule
and performance and less concerned (or often unaware) of the nitty-gritty
details in solving an analytical problem. One
of the big problems between analysis (particularly advanced analytics) and the
business are with lack of empathy in senior management who think that just
throwing more resources at a problem will solve schedule and performance
issues, while in reality resources are often not the solution.
Analyst’s quality: Part of the key in this situation is that the
analyst needs to not only know how to communicate analytical details, but also,
how to apply them to the business problem at hand. It is to be agreed and
understood that usually the business manager is the decision maker and not the
staff analyst - and rightfully so. Obviously some companies do this better than
other! Why and how? Is it better training? Is it that the senior management is
well trained analysts? Is it that most line managers have some great insights
into the sorts of skill sets required to run analytics teams. Adaptability, dealing with ambiguity, actualization,
quick on their feet, empathy - these are some of the traits that analysts
typically fall short on. You could also call them EQ.
Why people with the right combination are rare: The
team with only left-brainers may not bring you breakthrough insights
that can re-create your business... you need right-brainers for that... people
who can see beyond the numbers - find the patterns and inquire the meaning of the
big "Why". - enough technical knowledge to still lead the data scientists without being Dilbert’s pointy haired boss
- the ability to make sense of what the organization need from analytics and to communicate that to the team they lead
- the ability to communicate the analysis it brings and its benefits to the wider organization
- the influencing skills to make sure their team gets the resources they need.
-the consistent corporate culture of good management discipline and practices
Both analysts and
managers should be creative, beyond analytic, for better communication and
collaboration, nurture through the team work and the organization’s
innovativeness DNA, so no matter where they come from, they could
have the same destination and make project well done.
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