Podcast: Why data analysts need business skills to be taken seriously
With the power of data reaching prolific heights, organisations often invest in data analytics without understanding its real value – and data analysts often lack the skills to explain it.
In the latest Melbourne Business School podcast, Professor Ujwal Kayande discusses the enormous demand for quantitative marketing, why an organisation’s leadership needs to understand analytics and just how important business skill are to the career of a data analyst.
"To be fair, you can't have a seat at the table just because you have data science skills. You can only get a seat at the table if you can think strategically for the organisation and think strategically about how data science can help the company achieve its goals," Prof Kayande says.
With many senior-level teams showing a misunderstanding of how data works, Prof Kayande emphasises why speaking bilingually in business and data is important to a data analyst's role in shaping company strategy.
"If the programs do not deliver soft skills, then you won't have the capabilities of working within teams and understanding how to influence people within the organisation, and that's absolutely critical."
Ujwal Kayande is a Professor of Marketing at Melbourne Business School and Director of the Centre for Business Analytics, which he established in 2014. He teaches marketing strategy and analytics on the MBA and Master of Business Analytics degree programs.
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