Essay by Oxford Insights and The Data Tank: “Employing data stewards and embedding responsible data reuse principles in the programme or ecosystem and within participating organisations is one of the pathways forward. Data stewards are proactive agents responsible for catalysing collaboration, tackling these challenges and embedding data reuse practices in their organisations.
The role of Chief Data Officer for government agencies has become more common in recent years and we suggest the same needs to happen with the role of the Chief Data Steward. Chief Data Officers are mostly focused on internal data management and have a technical focus. With the changes in the data governance landscape, this profession needs to be reimagined and iterated. Embedded in both the demand and the supply sides of data, data stewards are proactive agents empowered to create public value by re-using data and data expertise. They are tasked to identify opportunities for productive cross-sectoral collaboration, and proactively request or enable functional access to data, insights, and expertise.
One exception comes from New Zealand. The UN has released a report on the role of data stewards and National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in the new data ecosystem. This report provides many use-cases that can be adopted by governments seeking to establish such a role. In New Zealand, there is an appointed Government Chief Data Steward, who is in charge of setting the strategic direction for government’s data management, and focuses on data reuse altogether.
Data stewards can play an important role in organisations leading data reuse programmes. Data stewards would be responsible for responding to the challenges with participation introduced above.
A Data Steward’s role includes attracting participation for data reuse programmes by:
- Demonstrating and communicating the value proposition of data reuse and collaborations, by engaging in partnerships and steering data reuse and sharing among data commons, cooperatives, or collaborative infrastructures.
- Developing responsible data lifecycle governance, and communicating insights to raise awareness and build trust among stakeholders;
A Data Steward’s role includes maintaining and scaling participation for data reuse programmes by:
- Maintaining trust by engaging with wider stakeholders and establishing clear engagement methodologies. For example, by embedding a social license, data stewards assure the digital self determination principle is embedded in data reuse processes.
- Fostering sustainable partnerships and collaborations around data, via developing business cases for data sharing and reuse, and measuring impact to build the societal case for data collaboration; and
- Innovating in the sector by turning data to decision intelligence to ensure that insights derived from data are more effectively integrated into decision-making processes…(More)”.