Follow-Up on Data Scientists

I enjoyed the reader comments about data scientists that Harvard Business Review published in its December print edition. These comments addressed articles Harvard had published about Big Data. Some of these comments agree with my earlier blog post where I explained that not all data scientists are required to have computer coding skills, although others felt coding skills were integral to the success of Big Data.

It is encouraging that some Harvard Business Review readers recognize that Big Data has value, and that its value does not necessarily come strictly as a result of computer coding skills. It is good to see that Harvard Business Review readers recognize the value of interpreting data and finding the meaningful insights it can offer. And, it is especially notable that Harvard Business Review decided to highlight this in the comments it chose to feature in its print edition.

As more and more companies tap Big Data, those that hone their capabilities well beyond technical areas like computer code will be the winners. True, these companies will need some computer coding expertise. But, as I pointed out in an earlier blog post, and as some Harvard readers agree, success with Big Data requires much more than that, and not all data scientists need coding skills. It is admirable that some Harvard Business Review readers recognize this, despite the publication’s article to the contrary, which said that all data scientists should have coding skills. Companies that apply the collective wisdom of those Harvard Business Review comments–including comments which agree with my previous blog post saying data scientists do not necessarily need coding skills–will be equipped to reap the advantages of Big Data.

Understanding the data and learning from it is where companies can benefit. These benefits do not come from merely having the technical skills for writing computer code to extract the data. They come from a much deeper grasp of what to do with the data. And, this requires skills in areas like asking questions, finding and understanding patterns, and recognizing now to apply these patterns to the business.

As a business success and failure patterns expert who helps companies obtain meaningful insights from information, I am pleased to see comments in Harvard Business Review indicating that readers do recognize the importance of delving for meaning in data. By recognizing the value of learning lessons from Big Data, and by realizing the importance of meaningful insight, companies will have opportunities to sharpen their performance. Learning and gaining insights from a variety of sources, including Big Data, helps pave the road to success.

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