Episode 50: Addressing the Unknown Unknowns in Data-Driven Decision Making

When it comes to awareness and understanding, what we know and don’t know can be split into four categories: known knowns; unknown knowns; known unknowns; and unknown unknowns. And to quote former US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld: “If one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.” When Rumsfeld made his famous “unknown unknowns” speech, he was referring to military intelligence. But the concept of “unknown unknowns” is just as relevant to data and data science. Those data dark spots, or data gaps, can be a real issue when it comes to data-driven decision making. In this episode, Matt O'Mara joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss the challenges and risks data gaps present to businesses and the community, and what data scientists can do to help address this issue. Guest Bio Matt O'Mara is the Managing Director of information and insights company Analysis Paralysis and is the founder and Director of i3, which helps organisations use an information lens to realise significant value, increase productivity and achieve business outcomes. He is also an international speaker, facilitator and strategist and is the first and only New Zealander to attain Records and Information Management Practitioners Alliance (RIMPA) Global certified Fellow status. Highlights (00:55) Understanding information gaps (02:33) Matt O'Mara's journey and insights (04:58) Real-world examples of information gaps (07:30) The impact of information gaps on society (11:54) Organizational challenges and solutions (25:55) Critical information sources and management (31:33) Developing an information lens (42:47) The role of data scientists in addressing information gaps (45:29) Conclusion and contact information Links i3 website Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE