The Co-op data team took home the Best Data Ethics and Privacy Programme at the DataIQ Awards. Claire Hadfield, data governance analyst at the Co-op explains how they engendered a culture of trust and what the win means for her and her team.
The Co-op has a vision to be “trusted with data”. Why is this so important?
It was at our AGM back in 2016, when we reiterated our aspiration to be more trusted with data. This was made up of three things: integrity, transparency and meaningful consent.
We are aware that trust is subjective to the individual and there is no one size fits all.
Therefore in the current climate, where consumers are more aware of how the data about them is collected and used by organisations, trust is becoming the new currency, once you lose it, it’s really hard to gain back.
How has the Co-op worked with the Open Data Institute and used Data Ethics Canvas tool?
We first partnered up with the Open Data Institute back in 2017 to support us with our vision to be “trusted with data”. On the journey towards this aspiration, we had many conversations internally and externally around what this means and how we can work towards this. Whilst we have policies, standards and processes in place, we knew we wanted to look at how we can engage with colleagues in a more open and creative way. So as we continued our partnership with the ODI into 2018, we started to use the Data Ethics Canvas which is an open source tool created by the ODI. This tool frames 15 topics across data management, protection and security.
We have been using the canvas in our Digital division with delivery teams who are iteratively designing and building our new digital products and services. This has meant that right from the get-go, these teams have been able to identify potential ethical issues associated with the data they are using or coming into contact with on their project.
We have completed the canvas with a number of teams throughout 2018/19 and have now begun to roll this out more broadly for the wider group in the latest iteration of our change management programme.
We have started to look at the next iteration of the data ethics canvas and incorporating data architecture into this as a Design Canvas to support new initiatives going through an alpha stage.
To embed ethics, policies and processes need to be understandable and approachable. To ensure this practical help and support around data ethics is delivered alongside training and awareness. How does this happen?
Earlier this year we wrote a Data Ethics Policy which is designed to supplement the existing data policies we have at the Co-op, which already provide the regulatory and legal requirements. This policy provides a series of high-level data ethics principles for the Co-op to guide colleagues on making sensible decisions with data.
As well as a policy, we have written blogs which have been published internally and externally, and spoken at a number of events in Manchester, Leeds and London to talk about our work around data ethics and why it is important at the Co-op.
As a data management team, we have been facilitating workshops with project teams to complete the data ethics canvas.
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