Ninety percent of the world’s data has been created in the past two years, and its growth isn’t slowing down — we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data each day. Not only is this massive amount of data collected, but it can be analyzed by employees in any department, whether it be sales, marketing, or leadership.

This democratization of data will have a profound impact on office culture, specifically on office politics. Yet why aren’t more businesses decisions driven by data?

Many organizations today are blind to metrics around cost, high margin products, and employee productivity. They either don’t measure it, or the data is collected and then buried in finance departments. When teams get together for budget or strategy sessions without that data in real time, conversations often devolve into conflict. Rather than focusing on what's objectively best for the business, politics dominate those discussions.

On-demand access to market and internal data can add a layer of extreme objectivity to negotiations and strategic planning. With analytics tools like Salesforce Analytics Cloud or Data Hero, a team’s decisions won’t depend upon the loudest or most authoritative voice. The most persuasive arguments will be supported by clear, clean cut numbers — without them, your points won’t make the grade.

However, presenting this objective data won’t automatically drive consensus. Each member of your team may interpret the data differently, or apply it to another scenario. Not everyone will agree, nor should they. Data insights shouldn’t replace debate and decision making, but instead enhance their effectiveness.

Invest in analytics to get closer to your customers than ever. In the next five years, we’ll continue to see refinements and expansions of current analytics technology. Take the next step beyond just collecting data, leave highly charged office politics behind, and make informed business decisions to provide more value for your customers.

How is your team using data to power conversations? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or get in touch.