Data Governance Change Management: From Drift to Direction—Why Every Data Leader Needs an ANCHOR, by Aakriti Agrawal and Dr. Arvind Agrawal
Transform your data governance program by mastering the human side of change—with clarity, courage, and a proven model built for real-world impact.
Importance of Change Management
Data Governance Managers Must Know Change Leadership
What is Data?
What is Data Governance?
Let’s Talk Lingo
The Pivotal Role of Data Governance
Is There a Need for a New Change Management Model?
The ANCHOR Model
Finding a Unified Direction for Your Program
Defining Scope
Mission and Vision Statements
Gathering Opportunities
Data Therapy in Practice—A Case Study
Prioritizing Opportunities
Evaluate Effort and Impact
Better Manage Your To-Do Lists
Align with Organizational Priorities
Convey Business Value
So What’s Next?
Who to Involve
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Organizational Structures for Data Governance Departments
Head + Heart
Careers in Data Governance
Identifying Successes
Communicate Successes Effectively!
It’s your program, you can party if you want to!
Be a Party Planner (Yes, You!)
Conflict Resolution Capabilities
Employ A Decision-Making Framework
Decision-Making Bias
The Data Governance Mindset
The Need for Flexibility
Why is Change so Difficult?
The Psychology of Change
Hard Lessons Learned
Types of Capital Developed During the Change Process
KPIs of Your Change Management Program
Maturity Model
Apply/Use the ANCHOR Model
Charting the Course on Your Change Management Journey
RAPID Model for Decision-Making
Models for Change Management
Data Governance Change Management is your indispensable guide to navigating data governance change when you’re between executive mandates and frontline execution, high expectations and limited resources. Designed for mid-level managers and data and business professionals, this book provides an empowering and actionable roadmap for leading successful, sustainable transformation efforts. It’s not just about implementing a new data catalog or policy—it’s about building buy-in, shifting mindsets, and turning resistance into resilience.
At the heart of this book is the ANCHOR Model, a six-factor framework—Aim, Need, Community, Hooray, Obstacles, and Resilience. Unlike traditional change management approaches, the authors designed the ANCHOR Model for data governance professionals working in dynamic, often decentralized environments. You’ll learn how to conduct “data therapy” to uncover stakeholder pain points, align your program with business strategy, recruit cross-functional allies, and celebrate small wins that snowball into big results. With real-world case studies, templates, and exercises, this book is both practical and motivational.
Whether you’re launching a new data governance initiative, advocating for responsible data use, or just trying to shift your team from “data police” to “strategic partner,” this toolkit meets you where you are. You’ll gain skills in change leadership, data strategy, data quality management, and governance communication, all grounded in emotional intelligence and organizational psychology. If you’ve ever struggled to secure executive sponsorship or wondered how to get others to care about your governance work—this book shows you how.
Data Governance Change Management goes beyond buzzwords to give you the language, mindset, and methods to influence without authority and build a data-driven culture that sticks. With increasing demands for data privacy, compliance, AI ethics, and enterprise data literacy, the need for adaptable, human-centered leadership has never been greater. This book is your companion on that journey.
If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start building traction for your data change efforts, Data Governance Change Management will equip you to lead with purpose—and to anchor change that endures.
With this book you get the benefit of the Agrawals’ decades of combined experience leading change. They also draw upon the experience of real data professionals and middle managers and share their insights with you.
Danette McGilvray, Author of Executing Data Quality Projects
The ANCHOR provides a mnemonic and model that can be applied to any program that relies upon strong, consistent organizational change management. And it teaches the model in an accessible manner.
Gwen Thomas, Founder, The Data Governance Institute
Dr. Arvind Agrawal spent over 30 years of his career as a marketing professional, working hands-on with a variety of consumers within the financial services industry in India and the Asia-Pacific region. He has led multi-million-dollar marketing budgets for multiple Fortune 500 companies, including American Express, GE Capital, and VISA International, as well as for smaller companies such as Contract Direct, Fair Isaac, and NIIT. Through these experiences, he has successfully introduced multiple financial products by focusing not just on the launch itself, but also on the culture and process changes required within the company.
After a successful professional career, Arvind chose to relive his college days and return to pursue a Ph.D. in Consumer Behavior, researching the factors that influence decision-making. He is now an Assistant Professor of marketing at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he shares knowledge with undergraduate and master’s students.
Arvind’s first book, “How India Found Its Feet”, shares the economic growth of India during the 1990s and early 2000s, through a collection of interviews with the people who led to the change in the economic makeup of the country, distilling the essence of their successes. Arvind frequently publishes articles on topics such as marketing, entrepreneurship, the financial industry, and consumer psychology.
Aakriti Agrawal, MBA, CDMP, ADGP, is a Senior Manager of Data Governance at American Express, a Fortune 100 company. She has a Master’s degree with a focus in organizational and nonprofit change from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has spent the entirety of her career in data management and data governance. On the side, she enjoys philanthropy work—she is a serial nonprofit founder.
She co-founded her first nonprofit, Girls Code Lincoln, which teaches middle school girls to computer program in Lincoln, Nebraska, as she was herself learning to code. Her second nonprofit, the Nonprofiting Org, provides entrepreneurial support to nonprofit founders. Through her professional and philanthropic experiences, Aakriti has demonstrated effective change leadership by generating buy-in, developing processes, and creating robust programs that grow and thrive.
She has been recognized with the Inspire Founders Award and the Emerging Young Leaders Award, has been nominated to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, has given a TEDx talk, and serves on numerous boards of national and international nonprofits. Aakriti is a frequent speaker on topics such as data governance, change management, female representation in STEM, and entrepreneurship.
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