Digital analytics professionals play a key role within data-guided businesses. Business cases are proven viable from the data that analysts, technical specialists, data miners, business intelligence people, marketing analysts, and web analytics specialists provide to leaders who drive decision-making. A key component for digital analytics professionals to disseminate their data throughout an organization is to avoid organizational silos and facilitate cross-departmental information sharing — this can be achieved by utilizing the Hub-and-Spoke method.
The Hub-and-Spoke Method
Visualize a ferris wheel or a bicycle wheel — there is a hub in the center with many spokes that emit from the central hub to the outer rim. In an organization, the central hub holds all useful information derived from data and the spokes are the different business units or competencies within that business. The people in the hub supply the departmental spokes with the information needed to get the most out of their tools. Simply put, the Hub-and-Spoke method helps break down silos to effectively share information and work together so everyone in the organization can all pull in the same direction (Jackson, 2015).
The Hub-and-Spoke method is designed to provide data-led organizations with the framework to generate outcomes that provide urgency, are lead top down, create a vision, promote internal communication, are actionable, provide quick wins and continuous organizational improvement, and are routinely used (Jackson, 2015).
Multi-Departmental Needs
Hub-and-Spoke framework functions most effectively when the hub utilizes all spokes — or departments within the business. This can be achieved by the hub considering the needs of all departments and competencies within the business, then providing said full-scope comprehensive data for decision making.
Information silos are the enemy of any company trying to change into a data guided business (Jackson, 2015).
The Hub-and-Spoke method can be particularly beneficial to companies who are silo’d and have poor, infrequent, or irregular communication between departments or are going through a period of change. Having hub that uses all spokes ensures each department is represented objectively when the data is analyzed, providing a comprehensive analysis for leadership.
When the needs of all departments are considered, a company can prioritize and allocate resources to operate efficiently, ensure the most effective communication, and have a shared vision for continuous organizational improvement.
The Value in Sharing Results
When information silos are broken down, sharing results across the organization becomes easier and more viable. Operations streamlined through the hub can facilitate improved internal communication — a key component to collaboration and efficiency between the hub and spokes.
Change in an organization is inevitable, and in implementing a change, one of the biggest problems an organization faces is resistance from its employees (Rehman et al., 2021). Implementing the Hub-and-Spoke method to share results can guide employees through change by improving internal communications, increasing stakeholder buy-in, and comfortability with change. Cross-organization data transparency can help teach processes, reveal successes and failures, reduce assumptions, and overall, align expectations and goals.
References
Jackson, S. (2015). Cult of Analytics (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781317561880https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781317561880
Rehman, N., Mahmood, A., Ibtasam, M., Murtaza, S. A., Iqbal, N., & Molnár, E. (2021). The Psychology of Resistance to Change: the Antidotal Effect of Organizational Justice, Support and Leader-Member Exchange. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678952