Strategies for Data Management Leadership: Why, Who, What, and How

Abstract

Many institutions are finding that existing paradigms for decision support are not satisfactory for meeting the ever-changing demands for data and information. An institution's ability to adapt to meet the needs of both internal and external customers will be critical. Employees at all levels of the organization can and will be expected to contribute to the management of the organization. To support the changing and expanding management information needs, the environment responsible for data delivery and information use must be: 1) flexible and responsive to new requirements and technology options; 2) reliable enough to indicate future trends and defend actions taken (accountability); and, 3) accessible and usable by a diverse customer base. To accomplish this, those charged with planning and decision support must rethink the ways they are presently working, and those responsible for decision-making and planning must have access to a variety of integrated data sources. In this paper, the development of a "data management culture" is proposed that supports the increased needs for data and information at all levels of the institution.