We are living in the age of data explosion. The unprecedented volume and variety of data at our fingertips hold huge potential – in transforming the way companies organise, operate, and manage talent and create value.
But data in and of itself is not the magic answer. It is rather a means to an end.
The information collected need to be stored, cleaned, analysed, visualised – and then translated into actionable insights. These processes need to be done with a clear purpose in mind, because without a goal, the tsunami of data is of little value.
Savantraj C S, Principal Consultant (Global Strategy/Planning) at Sony Electronics (Singapore) was a recent participant in NUS-ISS’ NICF – Data Driven Decision Making (SF) course. He shared that one immensely useful takeaway from the course was the concept of ‘asking the right questions’ in any data analytics project.
The most meaningful questions are those that help establish links between different factors and allow you to see underlying patterns. For example, from a human resource perspective, the question could be, “Is there a co-relation between the retention rate and the age group the employee belongs to?”
Seeing things in a new light
Savantraj explained that such an approach has enabled him to look at data from fresh perspectives. With the responsibility of driving innovation and the adoption of digital technologies in the company, Savantraj’s job scope includes promoting awareness, supporting the skills-building initiatives in the organisation, as well as inducing ideation processes.
“The concepts learned at NUS-ISS’ course have definitely improved the way I work. I am now more mindful of the kind of questions I can ask when designing post-event surveys, which will help me understand the ground situations better. I am also able to derive more in-depth insights and action points when analysing the survey outcomes.”
From classroom to workplace
Combining data analytics with business thinking, the NICF – Data Driven Decision Making (SF) course by NUS-ISS is specially designed to expose working professionals to the different schools of thought in the field of data analytics.
“The curriculum gave me a comprehensive overview of the data analytics landscape, how the processes work and what an analytics project lifecycle would look like,” said Savantraj. “It also taught me how to frame problems and analyse the results of an analytics project.”
He added that in his opinion, what distinguished NUS-ISS’ course from others in the market, was the holistic manner that the syllabus was created. “The training roadmap was very clear. We started with the basic concepts, which gave us a good foundation for the complex topics that came in later.” The lecturers had also provided insightful examples and practical applications of the theories covered in class. “They recognised that the students came from different backgrounds. So they aligned the concepts with various job roles, and that helped me greatly because it gave me a sense of how I could adapt and apply the new knowledge to real life scenarios.”
Cassandra Guo, Senior Manager (Learning & Development) at Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, shared that the employees who attended the course by NUS-ISS found it to be effective in aiding the company’s digital transformation plans. “We have received good feedback about the course, which gave our employees a taste of the different aspects of data analytics, as well as the different roles involved in such initiatives.” With this starting ground, our employees are now better equipped with the skills and knowledge to explore and initiate data driven efforts in their respective departments.
A mindset change was also observed. Guo added, “After the course, we realised they were more open to learning about other emerging technologies.”
The transformational impact of data analytics
The digital revolution brings a lot of uncertainties and disruptions – in particular, to the nature of jobs. As traditional industries and work that have been around for decades are forced to evolve along with the times, companies such as Sony Electronics are taking proactive steps to help their workers stay relevant.
Guo explained, “We understand that digital transformation journey can be overwhelming at times, so we want to provide as much support for our employees as possible.” She noted that each of the new technological fields actually comprise many different technologies and new roles. For example, in data analytics, there are opportunities for workers to be retrained into roles such as data architects and data scientists.
As the employer, the company believes that by providing workers with some clarity on their learning paths, it would aid them in their digital aspirations in this changing industry. “At Sony, we take pride in developing our employees to unleash their full potential. By investing in them and providing them with opportunities to continue learning and acquiring new skills, we want to help them achieve greater career satisfaction,” Guo said in conclusion.
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