| Data is often used to confirm the truth or disperse | | | | organization has acknowledged the fact that they |
| myths. So it pretty much goes without saying that | | | | need to improvements and have started to think about, |
| people love it when data proves what they have been | | | | if not implement, actionable changes. Questions to ask |
| saying or doing all along. As Dan holowack states in his | | | | yourself: What changes have we made? How are |
| blog: "Change often costs money, change is hard, | | | | these reflected in the data? Make sure you can |
| change sometimes means admitting mistakes". So it | | | | confirm the changes in the new data. |
| makes sense that if you need to initiate change in your | | | | 4. This is a Different Place |
| organization, an activity often met with a little | | | | Just because your organization lies outside a particular |
| resistance, then wielding data that proves the need for | | | | geographic area, or does or doesn't outsource work to |
| change seems like an appropriate way to begin. | | | | another country, don't think you can escape by playing |
| Adapted from a presentation presented by Brian Postl, | | | | the location card. Make use of data by trying to find |
| President and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health | | | | commonalities to support best practices instead of |
| Authority, here are the 5 stages of data denial. | | | | comparing where you both fell down. |
| 1. The Data is Wrong | | | | 5. We Already Tried That |
| A lot of the time your initial reaction can be: "the data | | | | As we said before, it is hard to get an organization to |
| must be wrong". If this is what springs to mind, it is | | | | initiate change, let alone get it right the first time. |
| advisable to take a step back and take a look at the | | | | Especially if previous attempts at change were |
| overall result. Is it at least close to what it should be? If | | | | unsuccessful. Look at your data carefully - are there |
| so, this could be enough to leverage action; don't spend | | | | things you missed last time, or things that have |
| too much time worrying over the finer details. | | | | changed that can give you more insight or |
| 2. The Data is Old | | | | opportunities? |
| Another classic excuse. Does the data really need to | | | | The best way to deal with data denial - start with a |
| be up-to-the-minute, real time data? That all depends | | | | small change, something you can measure, share and |
| on your industry and what you are doing with your | | | | celebrate the success. Or the other alternative is to try |
| data. But chances are, that data that is a little dated still | | | | to avoid it completely - start analyzing your data early |
| holds some value and truth. Don't dismiss it just yet. | | | | on with a BI solution like Bime. Because you can ask |
| 3. We Have Already Changed | | | | any question you want, you are able to quickly |
| As long as you can show that the changes have been | | | | uncover where things are going wrong before you |
| made, this one does not count as a denial. At least the | | | | have to enter the denial stages. |