How to build a data-driven culture with logic

An overemphasis on logic often thwarts the efforts of enthusiastic but naive leaders who are trying to build a data-driven culture; however, an underemphasis on logic can be just as damaging to success.

Just because you and your data scientists immediately see the logic and reasoning for using data to drive decisions, don’t assume the rest of the organization does. In fact, it’s likely that most of your organization will have a hard time blindly trusting your data. Credibility and emotion play a large part in moving them to your side, but logic has a role as well.

Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle teaches us that persuasion comes in three forms: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic). Although I encourage you to focus heavily on ethos and pathos, without logos, your organization may have a tough time making the transformation. Data-driven concepts must make logical sense before your organization fully adopts them.

To build a logical foundation for your data-driven culture, you must answer the question, “why is it better to trust a data system over my own judgment?” It is very common management advice to start with some sort of analysis, and then for a final decision, use your best judgment. Is this good advice? For a data-driven culture, I would say no.

In a data-driven culture, the data actually drives decisions — there’s no human intervention required. This will be difficult for many in your organization, because it’s generally accepted that humans are smarter than machines. But what exactly does that mean? Some education will help your organization understand the logic of trusting your data systems.

Let’s start with memory. Is it likely that a human can recall stored information as well as a computer? With only a few seconds to contemplate this question, most people will arrive at the obvious answer. You can store an obscure piece of information in a database and keep it there for decades, with very little chance that it will forget anything. Can you do the same? No way.

Another thing that’s hard to contest is that a computer can calculate numbers and crunch through formulae faster than a human. Even an ancient calculator can do long division much, much faster than any human, right?

So, in the areas of retrieving stored information and quickly performing mathematical calculations, machines clearly have humans beat, but what about inductive and deductive reasoning? This is of course what separates us from all the other living creatures on the planet, let alone our silicon-based aspirants. Even the most advanced artificial intelligence pales in comparison to any human’s basic reasoning skills.