Rob Karel takes a novel approach to explaining data governance by imagining he's writing to his mom about it. He explain that data governance is just as important as other corporate functions designed to optimize assets – but “[u]nfortunately, while Finance and HR are universally accepted disciplines that all companies prioritize, data governance remains an emerging specialty.”
He uses the analogy of managing your personal finances to outline data governance principles. And he says while good governance practice is intuitive at this level, the greater complexity of our business organizations makes it much harder to achieve at work.
I like Karel's analogy. It makes me ponder on how the intuitive understanding of data management gets lost, or dissipates, in the organization. And I think the reason is a loosening of personal ownership. Your finances are highly related to your life goals. At work, your data doesn't even always feel like it's yours – especially when you're being told it's a corporate asset. Governance sounds like something somebody else does. (It also sounds boring, and possibly punitive.)
I believe community-owned data standards like ACORD's are an important tool in changing these perceptions and fostering a sense of shared responsibility for data. When your data uses standards, it's related to an overall framework which is approved by the industry and the profession. People get a feeling of shared ownership which provides the intuitive duty of care toward data that's otherwise likely to be missing.
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