How to Bridge the Data-Experience Gap & Gain Executive Buy-In (feat. Tiankai Feng)

Data Breakthroughs - Episode 10: When Data Meets Decades of Experience

Real-world data problem solving in action! Tiankai Feng (Director of Data & AI Strategy at ThoughtWorks, author of "Humanizing Data Strategy" and "Humanizing AI Strategy") and host Lior Barak tackle a manufacturing company where plant managers with 20+ years of experience resist a modern data platform.

Problem Category: Organizational Data Strategy / Change ManagementRuntime: 32 minutes

The Challenge: A family-owned manufacturer invested heavily in data infrastructure, but plant managers still make decisions based on "what happened last time" and gut instincts, creating a divide between analytics teams and operations.

The Solution: Transform data from replacement threat to support tool through co-creation, clear communication about expertise-data synergy, and defining decision-making rules with proper incentives.

Key Takeaways:

Expertise vs. data is always a tension field - communicate how they work hand-in-hand, not against each other

People don't use things they didn't help create - co-creation is essential for adoption

Success metrics must reflect both short-term and long-term value to align incentives properly

Guest: Tiankai Feng, Director of Data & AI Strategy at ThoughtWorks Author of "Humanizing Data Strategy" and "Humanizing AI Strategy" Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiankaifeng/

Get Involved: Submit your data problem or Become a guest: https://data-breakthroughs-podcast.cookingdata.blog/

Join the conversation: #DataBreakthrough

Full show notes: https://data-breakthroughs-podcast.cookingdata.blog/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for inspiration and educational purposes. Solutions discussed are general approaches - adapt them to your specific context and constraints.

Music: "Calisson" courtesy of Riverside