Bringing digital intelligence and data into everyday work culture

What does it actually mean to manage your own work using data? Why is it worth doing? And what does digital intelligence even mean in practice? As someone who’s been around for a while (yes, I admit, a bit old-school), I still find that despite decades of discussion, digital and data topics can feel surprisingly new.

I’m curious — why does using data still feel challenging in expert work, even when we have plenty of data, KPIs, and dashboards available? Is the data genuinely in the hands of employees? Has it trickled down from leadership to become a real tool for setting personal goals, measuring progress, and supporting everyday development?

From digital skills to digital intelligence

Over the past few years, companies have invested heavily in ensuring the quality of their data and finding ways to use it. Dashboards and reports are everywhere.

But honestly, I would argue that in many organizations, data use still hasn’t truly rooted itself into daily work culture. There’s impressive expertise within corporate data teams, and an incredible amount of data is available — yet culture and everyday working habits? Still very much a work in progress.

What does it mean to manage your own work using data? What does a data-driven culture actually look like? During the pandemic, we all learned new ways of working remotely. But now that hybrid work is the new norm, we’re faced with a new wave of working methods to master.

Using data can help us serve our customers better, detect emerging trends early, and even create completely new business models. Data can help make sure we don't just react to change — we drive it.

"I would argue that in many organizations, data use still hasn’t truly rooted itself into daily work culture."

When we talk about digital skills, we usually mean the ability to use different tools — knowing how to navigate systems, platforms, and the digital world in general.

But in a truly digital-intelligent, data-driven culture, people not only know the tools, but they also understand their own work goals — both qualitative and quantitative — and actively monitor them. They use data not just to track performance but to improve their own work and even rethink how they work.

Welcoming a data-driven culture

Data can mean a lot of things — customer satisfaction, sales figures, hours worked, messages answered, team wellbeing, even general team morale.

We’ve all seen data like this.

But have we actually used it to lead our own work? Have we made changes to how we work based on it? Have we changed how we collaborate with our teams?

A simple example:

Many of us could benefit from analyzing the data provided by tools like Viva Insights, which tracks email habits. It could reveal time-wasting work patterns that we could change.

This is easily accessible, everyday data that — if used right — could make our workdays easier.

"Many of the tools we already use generate useful data. But the rush of everyday life and old habits often stop us from adopting smarter ways of working."

A digital-intelligent, data-driven culture means recognizing the information we need, knowing where to find it, and using it to reflect on and improve how we work.

It means making small adjustments that lead to smarter, more efficient work — and maybe even freeing up time to help others.

A truly data-driven culture also means we need to stay critical. We need to analyze, question, and interpret data carefully. Expertise still matters.

It’s not about blindly following numbers — it’s about using data as a tool to guide smarter, more informed decisions.

Digital intelligence means leading with data, not being led by it

I know, easier said than done.

But here’s the thing: data and analytics aren’t just the responsibility of the data team. They’re everyone’s responsibility. Data is produced to help us — to support and develop our work.

That’s why I truly believe: if there was ever a time to take the much-talked-about "digital leap," it’s now.

And by digital leap, I don’t just mean learning how to use new tools — I mean embracing a new mindset.

So let me ask you:

What does digital intelligence mean to you?

And does your organization truly have a data-driven culture?