{"id":326,"date":"2018-05-16T12:16:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-16T19:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lightsondata.com\/?p=326"},"modified":"2020-11-01T18:05:46","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T02:05:46","slug":"data-stewardship-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lightsondata.com\/data-stewardship-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"What is data stewardship?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is data stewardship? Discussing data stewardship with seasoned data governance practitioners can yield different definitions and understandings of what it is. Some use the two terminologies, data governance and data stewardship, interchangeably, which can make it even more confusing. In my own opinion, they are definitely not the same.
\nFor a revision on data governance definition, please read our “What is data governance<\/a>” article.<\/p>\n

Stewardship on its own is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something;\u00a0especially<\/span>\u00a0:\u00a0<\/strong>the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care; ex:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>stewardship<\/span>\u00a0of natural resources”. –\u00a0<\/span><\/em>A lot of people would argue that data is an organization’s most valuable <\/span>“resources”.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Similarly, Peter Block, defines stewardship as the “willingness to be accountable for the well-being of the larger organization by operating in service, rather than in control, of those around us. Stated simply, it is accountability without control or compliance.” –\u00a0\u00a0book: Stewardship: Choosing Service over Self-Interest\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

So what is data stewardship?<\/h3>\n

Data Stewardship is the discipline for defining, implementing, and enforcing\u00a0the accountability and responsibility of\u00a0the organization’s data stakeholders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Data stewardship supports and formally acknowledges the accountability and responsibility of a data stakeholder, but with a need for these to align, meet, and follow the:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • external legal and regulatory compliance<\/li>\n
  • internal policies<\/li>\n
  • business goals and pressures (usually financial or operational – sometimes technological)<\/li>\n
  • strategy and structure laid out by the data governance program<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Data stewardship can be considered a subset of data governance, and\/ or an invaluable collaborator.<\/p>\n