A study by Qlik
Qlik and Omdia released findings from a new research report, which revealed that Asia Pacific (APAC) public sector organisations have yet to develop a clear understanding of the importance of data and the emerging role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) to the organisation. The report found that nearly one in two APAC CDOs felt their roles lacked clarity in job definition, job execution, or both. The report also found that 75 per cent of CDOs regretted not having invested more in data driven initiatives before the pandemic hit, which potentially will impact their ability to use technology to develop better citizen services like public health.
The ‘Emergence of the Public Sector Chief Data Officer in APAC’ report, prepared by research and consultancy firm Omdia and commissioned by Qlik, analyses the state of the public sector CDO community in APAC, as governments continue to adjust to a landscape disrupted by the pandemic and digital transformation. The report surveyed 103 senior public sector data executives across Australia and New Zealand, India, and Singapore and revealed the concerns, challenges and priorities of these CDOs.
CDOs call for more leadership support
CDOs still face an uphill battle in convincing their organisations of the value of data. To date, less than half of APAC organisations rely on data insights when making mission critical decisions. Almost 62 per cent of public sector organisations have yet to set up a data governance body, despite proof that such a body can build management support and broader awareness of the value of data in decision making.
Top resourcing priorities: analytics technology and data literacy
Besides organisational support, CDOs cited analytics and business intelligence technology as the top resourcing priority to enable data use within their organisations. CDOs voiced technical and strategic concerns for implementing data technology, such as integrating data, finding the right technology partner, and upskilling public sector workers. The study found data science and data policy as the most sought after skills among public sector organisations. Besides skills, the CDOs surveyed also expressed the needs for establishing a corporate culture of using data to support decisions and a more data literate workforce.
Kevin Noonan, Emeritus Chief Analyst, Omdia said, “The Covid-19 crisis has been a watershed for CDOs in APAC, prompting governments in Asia to more efficiently use data insights to create better citizen services around public health, welfare and taxation. There is a pressing need to reassess the public sector organisation’s technology investment to enable a suitable strategy to meet the new normal’s emerging agility and innovation requirements. However, technology is only one piece of the puzzle. Leaders must also better define and enable the CDO role to realize data driven decision making.”