Why Data Exploration Is Key To Better Business Outcomes

The following comments from Tableau President and CEO Mark Nelson have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

The world is going digital-first.

Businesses are transforming their customer experiences, revitalizing operations and setting themselves up for future success. As businesses go digital, data will play a more central role than ever before. According to a commissioned Forrester Consulting study conducted on behalf of Tableau, by 2025, nearly 70% of employees are expected to use data heavily in their job—up from 40% in 2018.

Business leaders and employees have embraced this data-first future. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t a deluge of data they’re seeking. It’s answers and insights from data. It’s agility and resilience. It’s faster and smarter decisions. Data’s promise of better outcomes is top of mind for every leader in every industry, globally. And the key to achieving these outcomes and tapping into data’s limitless potential is exploration.

Data exploration is more than reviewing a static report or dashboard. It’s about asking why, exploring how, digging deeper and discovering possibilities–with connected data and trusted analytics that tell valuable stories. Driving better outcomes requires asking data a question—and then maybe another, and another—to get what you’re really looking for: answers that drive meaningful impact. Data exploration is an imperative for businesses looking to lead in the digital era.

Here’s why I think so:

1. Data Exploration Helps Drive Better Everyday Decisions

Businesses that enable fast, confident, everyday decision making will get better results. Following a “gut feeling” no longer makes the cut. Now, leaders must empower and enable people to bring data to every conversation-–decisions big and small. Going from ambiguous business problems to informed insight to impact requires data exploration to be in your organization’s heartbeat.

The Seattle Seahawks recently used data to make an important business decision. If you’ve ever attended a large stadium event, you know that hearing the sounds and calls from the field can make or break your experience. Fan feedback is a critical source of data for the Seahawks, and fans were displeased with the stadium’s audio quality.

Rather than replace audio across the entire stadium, the Seahawks decided to explore the data further. A deep dive into the data revealed that audio quality was poor only in the four corners of the stadium. Instead of a pricey replacement of the full audio system, improvements were made in the targeted areas. This resulted in significant cost savings for the organization and a near immediate, positive turnaround in fan feedback— a huge data exploration win.

2. Data Exploration Helps Data Exploration Helps Influence Business Transformation

Businesses need to rapidly and frequently adapt to build and maintain a competitive advantage. Gone are the days where one great idea or product led to market dominance. Now, leaders must examine every aspect of their businesses—how they work, operate, develop products and serve customers-–and transform to stay relevant. Transforming from a status quo business to a thriving business requires data exploration to help reimagine what is possible.

To stay on the cutting edge, global HR services leader Randstad NV sought new opportunities to serve customers with data. The firm, which provides recruiting services, in-house workforce management, temporary staffing placement and more, realized they sat on a treasure trove of market information. This data—of huge value to customers-–became insights on talent scarcity and employee skilling needs. They even uncovered economic indicators, which they offer to businesses to help them thrive. For customers, Randstad NV is now a digital insights partner, a shift from what is otherwise a traditional business, thanks to data exploration.

3. Data Exploration Helps Build Skilled Data Cultures

Businesses that promote and support a Data Culture will future-proof their organizations. With data playing an even larger role in the future of work, being a data laggard is no longer an option. People need to have the skills, incentives and confidence to bring data into their everyday work lives. To do that, leaders need to prioritize, invest in and champion data exploration behavior.

The iconic auto brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) recognizes how existential data and data skills are to its business. Leaders at JLR have started to reframe how they talk about data, using the phrase, “Data Culture is really knowledge culture.”

For several years, JLR has expanded access to data tools and upskilled its people. Leaders model their expectations by bringing data to every conversation. And their employees get excited when they see positive, data-driven outcomes. Yes, you read that right—excited! The company has energized its people around data-driven impact, and as more people see what is possible, they want in on the fun too, an example of how success with data begets more success.

I believe data has limitless potential to deliver what we all want: better outcomes, faster decisions, agility, resilience, business transformation, and so much more. Data exploration and what people are empowered to do with data will make all the difference.

For more on data literacy and how it can be the key to better decisions, greater productivity and data-driven organizations, see the Forrester Consulting study, “Building Data Literacy.”