I recently worked with a global manufacturing organisation to help managers build a more data-driven mindset. Whenever it came to data-driven decision making, the problem that surfaced was not a lack of data. It was a lack of trust. Some teams kept asking for more. Others dismissed what they already had. Insights were hard to come by. In the end, most decisions still came down to gut feel.
It made me reflect: Is more data really the answer?
Your organisation might be flooded with dashboards, reports, data lakes, and spreadsheets. So why are decisions still driven by instinct?
“The number of Excel sheets floating around an organization shows the trust-deficit among executives.”
Krishna Pera, Big Data for Big Decisions
The more insights teams discover, the more questions they ask. Supply never quite meets demand. So people make their own spreadsheets — just to feel in control. Just to make the data make sense to them.
This is what economist George Akerlof called asymmetric information when some people have data, others don’t, and everyone’s working with a slightly different perception of reality.
This framework explains the different kinds of information gaps that show up in organisations:
Bottom Left – The sweet spot: formal data exists, and it’s trusted.
Bottom Right – People rely on informal sources or instinct, but don’t fully trust them.
Top Left – Formal data exists, but decision-makers don’t trust it — so they build workarounds.
Top Right – The worst-case scenario: no one has the right data or the right questions.
In order to get to the sweet spot, organisations do not necessarily need to build bigger data lakes or roll out fancier dashboards. It needs to start from the human side of data.
Here are 3 ways to get started:
- Map your asymmetries. Understand where gaps exist between those who create information and those who need it.
- Build data credibility. Address doubts, don’t ignore them.
- Support mindset shifts. Help teams trust systems without abandoning their experience.
When people feel equipped and confident, they stop relying on shadow spreadsheets — and start making better decisions.
Do you need help in driving a data-mindset to create a data-driven decision making culture within your organisation?