# Identities and Data By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-10-16 Finding meaning within an organization is a daunting task. It's hard enough for us as individuals to find meaning. Put a bunch of people [[together]], and the problem seems to grow exponentially. At the minimum, there are competing [[world views]]. When creating a meaning-focused data program, you must understand these complex dynamics. At the top, you have the CEO or founder. Sometimes they are charged with steering the ship, but mostly they point in various directions. CEOs have much less influence than we think they do. Does the President of the United States control geopolitics, or subjected to them? The river flows in a single direction. CEOs want data to validate the direction they are pointing. Below the CEO are the managers charged with translating directions into actions. Sometimes the directions are clear, and other times completely wrong. Managers get paid to act on the behalf of the organization regardless of personal opinion. They spend much of their time trying to predict and control organizational responses. They fight the wind and blame the tides. They push workers harder and pull credit forward both intentionally and unintentionally. They celebrate correlated wins and minimize casual failures. It's their job. Managers want data to verify their [[performance]]. Further down are the workers paid to perform acts of physical, knowledge, and [[emotional labor]]. Individual contributors row the boat and set the sails. They get paid to do work and not self-actualize. If it happens, then it is a pure coincidence. Some workers aspire to management and want data to elevate their status. The other workers don't want data but will take any that ensures fairness and independence. Below all of these identities are the individuals. Once basic needs are met, they want purpose. These individual journeys can cause organizational [[chaos]] at any moment. Bureaucracies and boot camps are created to minimize this outcome which forces individuals to lose their identity at work and adopt the ones given to them. A data program focused on meaning is aware of these issues and adapts accordingly. Single sources of truth take a back seat. Instead, the multitude of organizational identities must be embraced. Data is focused on the people performing the work and their work identities. Linking everything together makes no sense as there is [[Meaningful Data Programs|no single source of truth]] and it's entirely unnecessary. Understanding human nature, organizations, and the limits of knowledge creates intentional programs. Don't like what this means? Then new organizational constructs need to be created. #### Related Items [[Data]] [[Management]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Bureaucracy]] [[Work]]