How to build data culture together
Jay Dev - Training and Storytelling Associate
Data-savvy organisations want to make greater use of the data they hold so they can gain real value from it. A key strategy to be more effective is to look within – at the organisation’s data culture.
Data culture encompasses the ways that people and teams within an organisation appreciate and use data. A strong data culture is supported by a shared understanding of the value of data, shared ways of working and consistency in how data is used across the organisation. As a result, data is woven into the organisation’s operations at all levels and informs decision-making.
In short, organisations working to build data culture are investing in the success, sustainability and growth of their data efforts, and impact at large.
Key advice on building data culture
We recently ran a pilot course on Building Data Culture to a cohort of eight practitioners from social sector organisations across the UK. Through the course, we shared key lessons that form the backbone of building a strong organisational data culture.
Here, we share some of the key lessons, and how our course helped participants gain confidence to bring their new knowledge back to their organisations.
Begin by setting attainable goals
If you’re growing your data culture, it’s important to set goals that are clear and achievable.
Data culture constantly shifts and changes, as the people, priorities and environment around an organisation change. Begin by taking stock of where you currently stand. One way to establish a baseline for your organisation’s data culture is to complete a Data Maturity Assessment.
Once you have a clear sense of where your organisation stands, set goals that are attainable but push your organisation to level up. Beginning with near-term goals can help accumulate momentum to achieve longer-run strategic goals.
In our pilot course, we compared where each organisation stood, relative to Data Orchard’s Data Maturity Framework and set near-term goals which the class could support through peer feedback and accountability.
Building data culture is best done with others
Shifting an organisation’s culture is not a one-person job, regardless of where that person sits in the organisational structure. Instead, culture (and data culture) is the responsibility of all.
Colleagues across your organisation will be able to provide unique perspectives, ideas, and needs that can help culture grow organically. By involving others early, they will feel a sense of ownership and responsibility that will support organisational change. And changes are more likely to stick, regardless of shifting priorities or staff changes.
We modelled this type of collaboration in the pilot course. Participants had learning partners who they met with each week – brainstorming ideas together, navigating challenges and holding one another accountable to meeting their near-term goals. These proved to be very successful – many learning partners agreed to remain in contact after the course.
The course concluded with case clinics, where several participants presented specific efforts or roadblocks that they wanted feedback on from the group. Even those who did not present cases found ideas to take back to their organisations.
“The course really reinforced for me that building data culture is a long game made up of several parts and people. You can measure small milestones or wins along the way, but it takes sustained motivation across an organisation at different levels to affect real change – not just from one silo or a few data-focused people.” – Glen Winterbourne, pilot participant
Take inspiration of what to do (and what not to do) from other organisations
Once you have set goals in collaboration with others in your organisation, it’s time to plan your action. Other organisations can be a useful source of inspiration here.
But, when you begin to look for ideas on techniques to address data culture, you may quickly find a deep pool of examples. It can be overwhelming to determine what is right for your organisation, so it may be helpful to begin by finding peers that are similar in size, data culture maturity, and focus area. Look for lessons that peers have learned – on what succeeded, what could have been improved, or what flat out did not work.
We began the Building Data Culture pilot by reviewing a case study to take inspiration for what organisations in Scotland are doing to build their data practice and data culture. Participants also took turns sharing strategies that they have tried before in their organisations – explaining the effort invested into each strategy, whether or not it was successful, and whether or not they would recommend it to others. Taking lessons from one another helped participants focus on strategies that were tested and proven.
“It was so helpful connecting with other organisations to hear the different ways they were practically approaching this within their organisation: what they are doing, what worked, what hasn't (and why) etc. It's not just about knowing what to do, but HOW to do it.” – Alex Charles of Law Centres Network, pilot participant
The best way to build these muscles is regular practice
As much as possible, building data culture should not feel like an extra obligation on an already packed task list! Data culture is a part of the organisation’s culture at-large and exercises are most likely to take hold when they are connected with existing processes or projects.
At the same time, building data culture should not feel like running a marathon from the outset. It can be helpful to think of data culture like a muscle – rather than exercising intensely once, it helps to build effort in regular and increasing ways.
One way to spread data culture across your organisation is to allow organisational priorities to guide the questions that are being asked and investigated.
During the course, we practiced writing data action stories, a specialty of Data Orchard, as a way to frame objective-first inquiry. We also demonstrated simple, fun activities that participants could regularly run to raise literacy, confidence, and connection to data efforts across their organisations.
Looking ahead
We’d like to thank all of the participants of our pilot course. Thanks to their engaged participation and feedback, we’ve made some valuable refinements and additions to the course. Some of the key changes include:
We’re adding a fifth week! We designed the pilot as a four-week course but are extending the course to include more content, and more time for existing content and activities.
We’re adding more time and learning content at the start of the course for building foundational understanding about what good data culture is, including more time to review case studies of good practice.
We’re building in more interactivity, so participants can choose activities that are most relevant to them, ensuring they benefit from learning about culture in similar contexts to their organisation.
We’ve just published details of our new open Building Data Culture training course, with courses running May-June and November-December 2026. You can find out more and book now: