Article

Adaptive data governance: enablement vs. control

May 1, 2023 · Authored by Chris Wagner, Nathan Olson

Data governance is critical for organizations to manage their data assets effectively, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and derive insights that drive business growth and innovation. Most leadership teams have heard of data governance, and some have even implemented their own frameworks. Too often, these are traditional structures that rely on rigid and prescriptive policies and procedures.

Frameworks like these leave businesses users feeling disinclined to engage with governance and as a result, these efforts are under-utilized. This begs the question – why waste time and resources collecting, storing and managing data at all?

Consider the potential benefits gained from enabling business users to easily access and weave data together to tackle the biggest challenges. How can organizations create a culture that supports and encourages data usage while ensuring proper data protection?

Adaptive data governance

At the heart of data governance lies a fundamental tension between control and enablement. Control mechanisms are essential to safeguard the integrity, confidentiality and availability of data while enablement initiatives are crucial to unlocking the full potential of data and promoting a data-driven culture.

Instead of choosing between enablement or control, adaptive data management takes an approach that emphasizes flexibility, agility and responsiveness in the face of changing business needs, regulatory requirements and technological advancements. Unlike traditional data governance frameworks, adaptive data governance prioritizes collaboration, experimentation and continuous improvement.

Adaptive data governance requires a foundational shift in mindset. Business leaders must invest in a continuous cycle of planning, executing, monitoring and adjusting data governance practices to align with evolving business priorities and regulatory requirements.

The recognition that data is a dynamic and evolving fabric of information that requires a dynamic and evolving governance model that promotes stitching data together. Adaptive data governance frameworks focus on building a culture of data-driven decision-making and innovation, where data is seen as a strategic asset. Organizations that don’t shift their mindset risk falling behind and losing their competitive advantage.

Enablement vs. control

Organizations should exercise a mix of control and enablement within an adaptive data governance framework. While these may seem like opposing concepts, they are both essential components of a framework that seeks to balance data security and privacy with data-driven insights and value creation.