推荐：The best HR & People Analytics articles of March 2024024年3月，David Green带领我们深入了解了人力资源和人力分析的最新趋势。在欧洲和美国的几场关键活动中，他强调了人力分析在提升员工体验、AI在工作场所的角色、以及四天工作周趋势的增长中的转型作用。此外，Culture Amp对Orgnostic的收购和在Culture First Leaders Forum上的见解，突出了培养适宜的组织文化对于未来工作的战略重要性。Green的观点强调了HR需要采用数据驱动策略，以实现有效的劳动力规划、技能发展和组织增长。
2024 HR TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
KATE BRAVERY, JOANA SILVA, AND JENS PETERSON - Workforce 2.0: Unlocking human potential in a machine-augmented world – Mercer Global Talent Trends 2024
The world of work is in full metamorphosis, forever changed by the seismic shifts of the past few years and accelerated by the imminent human-machine teaming revolution. Just as organizations were settling into a new normal — with a focus on hybrid working, comprehensive health and well-being, digitalization, and upskilling — Generative AI (Gen AI) burst onto the scene.
Those are the opening words from the Mercer Global Talent Trends 2024 report, which has recently been published. As ever, the study, which is based on a survey of more than 12,000 executives, HR leaders, employees, and investors, and is authored by Kate Bravery Joana Silva and Jens Peterson is an absolute must-read. The study highlights a disconnect between what HR is prioritising for the 2024 people agenda and the initiatives that executives believe will have the most impact on business growth (see FIG 1). The study highlights four priorities that firms that outpace their competitors are focusing on: (1) Driving human-centric productivity. (2) Anchoring to trust and equity. (3) Boosting the corporate immune system. (4) Cultivating a digital-first culture. My tip to enjoy the study: find a couple of hours, make yourself a cup of tea and have a pen and paper to hand.
FIG 1: HR priorities for the 2024 people agenda (Source: Mercer Global Talent Trends 2024)
FIG 2: Drivers and drainers of employee productivity(Source: Mercer Global Talent Trends 2024)
HYBRID, GENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
BRIAN ELLIOTT - Return-to-Office Mandates: How to Lose Your Best Performers
There is mounting evidence that mandates don’t improve financial performance. Instead, they damage employee engagement and increase attrition, especially among high-performing employees and particularly those with caregiving responsibilities.
That’s according to Brian Elliott in his latest column in MIT Sloan Management Review, which highlights that the workers most likely to be turned off by return-to-office mandates are the company’s highest performers. Elliott highlights the link between factors such as pressure from investors and the CEO echo chamber with RTO pronouncements, as well as how only one in three executives believe that RTO has had even a slight impact on productivity. He recommends instead focusing on productivity rather than physical presence (see FIG 3) and how this can inspire a boom loop in engagement as opposed to a doom loop in trust. Finally, Elliott presents findings from the Future Forum and i4CP, highlighting the negative impact of RTO mandates, before offering guidance on how to build an outcomes-driven organisation: “The bottom line is that when trust is balanced with accountability, people and organizations will thrive.”
FIG 3: Focus on Productivity, Not Physical Presence (Sources: Future Forum, Centre for Transformative Work Design, and Slack)
AARON DE SMET, SANDRA DURTH, BRYAN HANCOCK, MARINO MUGAYAR-BALDOCCHI, AND ANGELIKA REICH - The human side of generative AI: Creating a path to productivity
As teams start using gen AI to help free up their capacity, the middle manager’s job will evolve to managing both people and the use of this technology to enhance their output.
A fascinating new study from McKinsey, which provides analysis on workers who are at the forefront of gen AI usage (which as FIG 4 shows is dominated by those in non-technical roles) and dives into the job factors and skills these workers say they need. The authors emphasise how firms can enhance productivity by crafting jobs that put people before tech – rather than the other way around. They conclude that companies that set a people-centric talent strategy will give themselves a competitive edge as more workers and jobs are affected by the changes gen AI brings. The article is rich with data and powerful visualisations – kudos to the authors: Aaron De Smet Sandra Durth Bryan Hancock Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi and Angelika Reich ).
FIG 4: Workers who use generative AI as part of their jobs comprise a much larger group than those who hold traditionally technical roles (Source: McKinsey)
PETER CAPPELLI, PRASANNA (SONNY) TAMBE, AND VALERY YAKUBOVICH - Will Large Language Models Really Change How Work Is Done?
LLMs are much more complicated to use effectively in an organizational context than is typically acknowledged, and they have yet to demonstrate that they can satisfactorily perform all of the tasks that knowledge workers execute in any given job.
In their article, Peter Cappelli Prasanna Tambe and Valery Yakubovich look at the use and challenges of integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) in organisations, and present practical recommendations on how to work with LLMs successfully. The five challenges outlined in the article are: (1) The Knowledge Capture Problem. (2) The Output Verification Problem. (3) The Output Adjudication Problem. (4) The Cost-Benefit Problem. (5) The Job Transformation Problem – How will LLMs work with workers? Guidance includes developing and circulating standards for the use of LLMs in organisations, establishing a central office to produce important LLM output, and providing training to users.
NICK BLOOM – Why WFH is a win-win-win | WFH research update (March 2024)
Nick Bloom’s recent post on LinkedIn highlighting his research on why remote working is a win for firms (due to increased productivity of $20,000 a year for each remote day a week), employees, and society is extremely compelling. I also recommend reading Nick’s latest monthly data for March, which includes numerous insights such as that workers in their 50s and 60s are fully onsite more often than younger workers. For more from Nick, please tune in to his discussion with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast: Unmasking Common Myths Around Remote Work.
FIG 5: Workers in their 50s and 60s are fully onsite more often than younger workers (Source: WFH Research)
PEOPLE ANALYTICS
PIETRO MAZZOLENI - Transforming HR: How IBM measures the success of its people data platform investments
For those of you who haven’t already subscribed to Pietro Mazzoleni’s People Data Platform newsletter, where he unpacks insights from transforming IBM's internal data platform for people analytics, I highly recommend you do. In this edition, Pietro walks through the three tiers of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) IBM uses to evaluate investments in Workforce 360, its people data platform (see FIG 6). Watch out for an upcoming episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, where I discuss with CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux how IBM is augmenting HR programs with AI. The episode will air from April 9.
FIG 6: Three tiers of KPIs to evaluate investments in a people data platform (Source: Pietro Mazzoleni)
NAOMI VERGHESE - Influencing C-Suite and Board Decisions with People Analytics Insights
Naomi Verghese shares key learnings from the recent Peer Meeting for member companies of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, hosted by HSBC in their global headquarters in London. The Peer Meeting, which was attended by over 60 people analytics leaders and practitioners from more than 40 companies focused on two of the key findings from the Insight222 People Analytics Trends study for 2023: influencing senior stakeholders and measuring value. In her article, Naomi covers four topics: (1) how to implement a people analytics operating model that drives business outcomes (based on insights shared at the Peer Meeting by Rob Etheridge and Bec Aoude). (2) how to use AI to democratise insights from people data, using an example of work Andrew Elston has led at HSBC. (3) how Microsoft’s employee listening ecosystem (see FIG 7) helped the firm identify the moments that matter for in-person collaboration (insights from a session led by Dawn Klinghoffer), and (4) how to influence the board of directors, with insights from Justine Thompson. If you would like to learn more about our People Analytics Program, contact us today.
FIG 7: Microsoft’s employee listening ecosystem (Source: Dawn Klinghoffer, Microsoft)
BRENT DYKES - The Future Of Data Storytelling Is Augmented, Not Automated
Brent Dykes continues his rich vein of writing with an article exploring whether AI tools should be used to automate data storytelling. He provides reasons why data storytelling can’t or shouldn’t be automated including for reasons of oversimplification, transparency and trust, and the fact that storytelling is essentially a human skill. Instead, Brent advocates that the path forward should be augmented data storytelling, and lays out a powerful illustration of how this would work (see FIG 8)
The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.
FIG 8: Data storytelling comparisons: Humans vs. AI (Source: Brent Dykes)
HALLIE BREGMAN – Where should People Analytics sit in an Organisation? Part 1 & Part 2 | WILLIS JENSEN – Can Data Cleaning be Automated? | COLE NAPPER - Universal Models & People Analytics | ALEXANDER LOCHER - How to harness the value of people data and operational HR insights | ANGELA LE MATHON, STACIA GARR, AND DANI JOHNSON - Generating Value from People Data
In recent editions of the Data Driven HR Monthly, I’ve been featuring a collection of articles by current and recent people analytics leaders. These act as a spur and inspiration to the field. Five are highlighted here. (1) If you don’t already follow Hallie Bregman, PhD on LinkedIn, you really should. Hallie regularly publishes thoughtful and insightful posts on topics important to the field. The two I’ve included here look at the pros and cons of situating people analytics in or outside HR. (2) Willis Jensen analyses whether AI will reduce the amount of data cleaning undertaken by people analysts given that much of this work involves judgement without hard, fast or consistent rules. (3) Cole Napper, who I’m looking forward to co-chairing People Analytics World with in London in April – also with Michael M. Moon, PhD – explains how many of the models we use in people analytics are borrowed from other disciplines. (4) Alexander S. Locher highlights some of the current trends in people analytics (see FIG 9) and offers guidance on how to harness value from your people data. (5) Angela LE MATHON, VP People Data and Analytics, shares how GSK generates value with their people data, how they’re using AI to gather information, and how skills verification ties in with Stacia Sherman Garr and Dani Johnson of RedThread Research.
FIG 9: Current trends in people analytics (Source: Alexander Locher, EY)
THE EVOLUTION OF HR, LEARNING, AND DATA DRIVEN CULTURE
JO IWASAKI, KAREN EDELMAN, AND YASMINE CHAHED - Time to rethink talent in the boardroom
Just over a third of board and c-level executives believe their workforce related discussions are adequate to meet their organisation’s needs. That’s the standout finding from a new global survey by Jo Iwasaki Karen Edelman and Dr Yasmine Chahed for Deloitte of 500 board members and C-suite executives in more than 50 countries on corporate governance and talent. The three top insights from the study were: (1) Many boards could be focusing more on talent-related issues. (2) Most organisations are just starting to think about their AI strategies. (3) Amplifying the talent experience will require boards to adopt a broader perspective.
FIG 10: Workplace related topics that are top board priorities (Source: Deloitte)
DAVE ULRICH - Pre-flections on GenAI and HR: Where to Go and How to Get There
GenAI will help shape HR’s future by offering both information symmetry to synthesize and optimize the past and present and information asymmetry to create and guide the future.
Dave Ulrich offers some initial reflections on what the journey could look like for applying GenAI to HR work, as well as some possible actions to drive progress (see example in FIG 11 for ‘Talent’). Dave also highlights four important considerations to manage the risk and realise the opportunity of GenAI in HR. (1) Who should champion, sponsor, participate in, and be accountable for this journey? (2) What individual skills and organisation capabilities will be required to make GenAI in HR happen? (3) What will be the regulatory and legal policies and risks associated with the effort? (4) What metrics of value-added GenAI for HR will be most useful and tracked?
FIG 11: Examples of GenAI/HR initiatives in the Talent domain (Source: Dave Ulrich)
HEIN KNAPPEN - How HR Adds to Enterprise Value
Hein J.M. Knaapen, a former chief people officer himself, shares his perspectives on the crucial role HR plays in driving business value, and offers practical advice to CHROs on how to make this a reality. Hein highlights the four people priorities that connect to value: (1) Performance management, (2) Succession management, (3) Leadership development, and (4) Capability building, providing guidance on each.
Value creation should be the focus. Nothing else. And only four people priorities connect to value: performance management, succession management, leadership development and capability building.
WORKFORCE PLANNING, ORG DESIGN, AND SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATIONS
STEFAN HIERL - Identifying the AI Potential in Your Organization: A Strategic Approach
Leveraging Generative AI to assess the AI Potential in a workforce helps businesses go beyond just talking about how AI might change jobs.
As Stefan Hierl astutely observes in his excellent article, in the rush to jump on the AI bandwagon, many companies fall into the trap of overlooking a critical preliminary step: conducting a systematic evaluation of where AI can deliver transformative value. In his article, Stefan outlines a five-step approach to quantify the potential of AI to support organisations identify opportunities for automating and augmenting work activities. The five steps (see FIG 12), which Stefan outlines in detail are: (1) Decomposing roles by breaking down each role into its main activities and respective time shares. (2) AI potential assessment – estimating the potential of AI at the activity level. (3) Expert validation – cross-verifying the generative AI findings with domain experts. (4) Identify high-value areas – creating an overview where AI can significantly enhance workforce productivity (see example in FIG 13). (5) Use case development – exploring specific AI applications to capitalise on identified potential.
FIG 12: Five steps to perform an activity based AI potential assessment (Source: Stefan Hierl)
FIG 13: AI potential by role – example (Source: Stefan Hierl)
MATT SIGELMAN, JOSEPH FULLER, AND ALEX MARTIN - Skills-Based Hiring: The Long Road from Pronouncements to Practice
For all its fanfare, the increased opportunity promised by Skills- Based Hiring was borne out in not even 1 in 700 hires last year (2023).
This is one of the standout findings from a new study by Matt Sigelman and Alex Martin of The Burning Glass Institute and Joseph Fuller from Harvard Business School. Their analysis reveals three categories of firms, who have publicly stated they have removed degree requirements in hiring, based on their actual hiring outcomes: (1) Skills-based hiring leaders (e.g. Cigna) – who have increased their share of non-degree hires in the roles analysed by nearly 20%. (2) In name only (e.g. Bank of America) – 45% of firms studied have made the shift in name only with no meaningful difference in actual skills-based hiring. (3) Backsliders e.g. Uber) – 20% of the firms analysed had made short-term gains by dropping degree requirements, but the change doesn’t stick. The report also highlights the roles best positioned for skills-based hiring (see FIG 14).
FIG 14: The roles best positioned for skills-based hiring (Source: Sigelman et al)
JORDAN PETTMAN - How to Accelerate the Impact of Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) through the Organisation Strategy Ecosystem
Jordan Pettman, one of my colleagues at Insight222, knows a thing or two about workforce planning. In his recent article for myHRfuture, Jordan explores how strategic design can be brought to life through an integrated ecosystem (see FIG 15) encompassing four components: (1) Organisation strategy, (2) Operating model, (3) Organisation design and strategic workforce planning, and (4) Organisation effectiveness.
FIG 15: The Organisation Strategy Ecosystem (Source: Jordan Pettman, Insight222)
EMPLOYEE LISTENING, EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
JACQUELINE BRASSEY, LARS HARTENSTEIN, BARBARA JEFFERY, AND PATRICK SIMON – Working nine to thrive
One of the few positives to emerge through and since the pandemic has been a stronger focus on employee health and wellbeing. According to new research by Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN (née Schouten) Lars Hartenstein Barbara Jeffery and Dr. Patrick Simon, on behalf of the McKinsey Health Institute, improving employee health and wellbeing doesn’t just benefit workers and organisations, it could generate between $3.7 to $11.7 trillion in global economic value (see FIG 16). Their article focuses on six drivers of health that employers can influence - social interaction, mindsets and beliefs, productive activity, stress, economic security, and sleep – and provides guidance on how organisations can move the dial on each.
FIG 16: Improving global employee health and wellbeing could create up to $11.7 trillion in economic value (Source: McKinsey Health Institute)
LEADERSHIP, CULTURE AND LEARNING
LINKEDIN LEARNING – Workplace Learning Report 2024: L&D powers the AI future
As AI reshapes how people learn, work, and chart their careers, L&D sits at the center of organizational agility, delivering business innovation and critical skills.
Aligning learning programs to business goals emerges as the top L&D focus area for 2024 in LinkedIn Learning’s annual report on the L&D field, which is based on analysis of LinkedIn behavioural data and focus interviews with L&D professionals around the globe. The report is structured into three chapters: (1) The State of L&D (the study finds that a strong learning culture derives retention, mobility, and promotion. – see FIG 17), (2) Skills agility (the study finds that only 33% of organisations have internal mobility programs), and (3) How L&D succeeds) with priorities #1 and #2 being to lean into analytics and build the right metrics – see FIG 18). The report features contributions from the likes of: Amanda Nolen (who asks: “What if Chief Learning Officers become Chief Skills Officers”), Chris Louie Geraldine Murphy Terri Horton, EdD, MBA, MA, SHRM-CP, PHR Alexandra Halem Ekpedeme "Pamay" M. Bassey Shruti Bharadwaj and Dani Johnson.
FIG 17: Business outcomes and learning culture (Source: LinkedIn Learning)
FIG 18: How L&D tracks business impact (Source: LinkedIn Learning)
AYSE KARAEVLI AND SERDEN ÖZCAN - Make Better Allies of Your Workforce
When the board takes the recommendations of employee advisory groups seriously and incorporates them into decisions, employees become more empowered, and their perspectives become embedded into their company’s long-term objectives.
In their article for MIT Sloan Management Review, Ayse Karaevli and Serden Ozcan present findings from their interviews with board directors, CEOs, CFOs, and employee representatives to understand how to manage conflict and engage workers. From their analysis, Ayse and Serden identified three strategies effective leaders use to include employees (see FIG 19): (1) Identify mutual goals and interests, (2) Foster inclusive decision processes, and (3) Give employees strategic responsibilities. The article then describes each of these in detail with examples from the likes of ThyssenKrupp, Allianz, Siemens, and Bayer before highlighting the importance of employee advisory groups, engagement with board members and the role of committees and task forces to imbue governance and participation.
FIG 19: Three Strategies to Avert Workforce Controversies (Source: Ayse Karaevli and Serden Özcan)
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
SUNDIATU DIXON-FYLE, MASSIMO GIORDANO, TANIA HOLT, TUNDE OLANREWAJU, DARA OLUFON, AND SANDRA SANCIER-SULTAN - Ethnocultural minorities in Europe: A potential triple win
Greater inclusion of ethnocultural minorities could fill talent gaps and spur company growth, increase economic empowerment of these groups, and generate benefits for the economy and broader society.
Despite the anti-immigration policies of many current European governments (that includes you, Rishi Sunak), stagnant economies, tight labour markets, and shrinking working populations mean that immigration is key to unlocking economic growth. In their superb analysis for McKinsey, Sundiatu Dixon-Fyle Massimo Giordano Tania Zulu Holt Tunde Olanrewaju Dara Olufon and Sandra Sancier-Sultan provide data insights on what they classify as ethnocultural minorities in Europe, and their (mostly challenging) experiences. The authors also provide guidance for companies on ethnocultural minority employee inclusion across five dimensions (see FIG 20).
FIG 20: Companies can consider ethnocultural minority employee inclusion across five dimensions (Source: McKinsey)
HR TECH VOICES
Much of the innovation in the field continues to be driven by the vendor community, and I’ve picked out a few resources from March that I recommend readers delve into:
ANDREA DERLER, PETER BAMBERGER, MANDA WINLAW, AND CUTHBERT CHOW - When New Hires Get Paid More, Top Performers Resign First - To attract talent to the organisation, employers often pay new hires more than they pay equivalent workers in the same role. Analysis by the Visier Inc. team of Andrea Derler, Ph.D. Peter Bamberger Manda Winlaw and Cuthbert Chow shows that in these times of increasing pay transparency, this strategy risks your high-performers resigning.
ANDREW PITTS AND CHAD MITCHELL - Exploring a few largely untapped sources of data for passive Organizational Network Analysis – This article by Andrew Pitts and Chad Mitchell of Polinode looks at a number of data sources that are typically overlooked for ONA including: 360 reviews, peer to peer recognition tools, opportunity marketplaces, and talent intelligence data.
FRANCISCO MARIN - Key Considerations for Defining the Scope of an ONA Pilot – Francisco Marin of Cognitive Talent Solutions provides a helpful guide to defining the scope of an ONA pilot including tips on clarifying the objective, data privacy and securing executive sponsorship.
HAKKI OZDENOREN AND JOHN BOUDREAU – Is the Future of Work Lost in Translation – John Boudreau joins forces with Hakki Ozdenoren of Revelio Labs to conduct analysis on resumes and jobs mentioning the ‘future of work’, with HR featuring prominently (see FIG 21).
FIG 21: A diverse set of roles contribute to the Future of Work (Source: Revelio Labs)
PODCASTS OF THE MONTH
In another month of high-quality podcasts, I’ve selected five gems for your aural pleasure: (you can also check out the latest episodes of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast – see ‘From My Desk’ below):
JAMIL ZAKI, BRYAN HANCOCK, BROOKE WEDDLE, AND LUCIA RAHILLY - It’s cool to be kind: The value of empathy at work – In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Jamil Zaki (author of The War for Kindness) joins Bryan Hancock Brooke Weddle and Lucia Rahilly to make the case for investing in empathic behaviour—for reasons including higher productivity, a stronger workplace culture, and better organisational health—as well as to discuss how to go about cultivating kindness at work.
CAL NEWPORT AND ADAM GRANT – How to be productive without burning out – Cal Newport discusses insights from his new book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, with Adam Grant on WorkLife. They dig into the data on productivity, debate the benefits and drawbacks of doing fewer things (and spending less time on email and social media), and discuss individual habits and organisational practices for preventing burnout and promoting worthwhile work.
JOSH BERSIN - Why “Talent Density” Is So Critical In Business Today – Fresh from discussing his Dynamic Organizations research at Gloat Live, Josh Bersin discusses why ‘Talent Density’ is becoming one of the key strategies for growth.
DONNA MORRIS AND LARS SCHMIDT - Inside Walmart’s Bold Strategy to Transform Retail Work – Walmart’s chief people officer, Donna Morris, joins Lars Schmidt on his Redefining Work podcast to discuss how Walmart is not just navigating but leading the revolution in workplace technology—with people firmly at its core. This was an especially insightful listen as only two days before I had seen Marty Autrey speaking at the Wharton People Analytics conference on how Walmart provides data-based nudges to its store managers to help them drive business outcomes and enhance employee experience.
RYAN HAMMOND, COLE NAPPER AND SCOTT HINES - Turnover Prediction, ML Ethics, & The HiQ Story – Ryan Hammond shares the epic story of HiQ Labs with Directionally Correct hosts Cole Napper and Scott Hines, PhD, as well as insights from his practitioner and academic backgrounds including how to ethically use internal and external data to do turnover prediction.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
TANUJ KAPILASHRAMI, MICHAEL FRACCARO, TAMLA OATES-FARNEY, AND DAVID GREEN – CHRO Panel: Delivering against the transformation imperative
March’s Video of the Month proved to be a highlight for me as it features me moderating the CHRO Panel at the recent Gloat Live event in New York. The panel was comprised of Tanuj Kapilashrami Michael Fraccaro and Tamla Oates-Forney, and featured discussion on the increasingly pivotal role of the CHRO in business transformation, lessons learnt and successes from transitioning to a skills-based organisation, and how technology can enable a culture of inclusivity and opportunity.
BOOKS OF THE MONTH
With a lot of travelling back and forth from the US in March, I found time to dig into two new books, which I recommend to readers of this newsletter:
MARC SOKOL AND BEVERLY TARULLI – Strategic Workforce Planning: Best Practices and Emerging Directions
Strategic workforce planning – the process of looking forward, assessing how to compete and win in your chosen market or business arena, and linking those insights to your existing and potential future workforce – is core to any institution that aspires to sustain itself over time.
Those are the opening words of Marc Sokol and Beverly Tarulli, Ph.D., the editors of an indispensable new volume of SIOP’s Professional Practice Series. It provides an overview of SWP, covering best practices, methodologies and new directions in the field as well as featuring contributions and case studies from a stellar list of contributors. These include: Sheri Feinzig Alexis Fink Adam Gibson Brian Heger Adam McKinnon, PhD. Kanella Salapatas and Dave Ulrich. Grab yourself a copy!
SALVATORE V. FALLETTA – Creepy Analytics: Avoid Crossing the Line and Establish Ethical HR Analytics for Smarter Workforce Decisions
In Creepy Analytics, Dr. Salvatore Falletta provides a thoughtful approach to HR Analytics that is both evidence-based and ethical – ensuring that organisations get the insights they need while respecting employee privacy. The book is built around the author’s seven-step HR Analytics Cycle (see FIG 22) and is well-researched. Thanks to Salvatore too for referencing Excellence in People Analytics several times, particularly in relation to the guidance Jonathan Ferrar and I offer around governance and the development of an ethics charter. As Alec Levenson opines in his endorsement of the book: “Falletta has done a masterful job addressing some of the most important ethical issues for workforce analytics.”
FIG 22: The HR Analytics Cycle (Salvatore V. Falletta)
RESEARCH REPORT OF THE MONTH
MAX BLUMBERG, ALEC LEVENSON, AND DAVE MILLNER - A Strategically Aligned HR Operating Model
In their recently published paper, three eminent and progressive thinkers in our field – Max Blumberg (JA) ?? Alec Levenson and Dave Millner – set out a pivot in how HR is structured and works in order to more closely align the function to the capabilities required for successful strategy execution. They present a new HR structure (see FIG 23) designed around four key pillars, before describing each pillar in detail and providing some diagnostic steps to implement this new operating model.
FIG 23: A new HR structure (Source: Blumberg, Levenson, and Millner)
FROM MY DESK
March saw four episodes from Series 37 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, sponsored by our friends at Culture Amp - thank you to Ellisa Packer and Jodie Evans, a round-up of series 36 and a guest appearance by yours truly on the Future Work/Life podcast:
DAVID GREEN AND OLLIE HENDERSON - Driving growth in people and businesses using data – In a role reversal, it was my turn in the hotseat as I joined Ollie Henderson on his Future Work/Life podcast to talk people analytics, talent marketplaces, AI, hybrid work models and the future skills required by HR professionals.
DORIE CLARK - How to Embrace Long-Term Thinking in HR Leadership – Dorie Clark and I discuss how to pivot to long-term thinking, how to prioritise effectively, and why embracing failure can drive innovation and creativity.
DIDIER ELZINGA - How to Prove the ROI of a Positive Company Culture – Didier Elzinga joins me to discuss ways of engaging the board on culture topics, the relationship between a healthy culture and business performance, and how to demonstrate the ROI of culture and engagement initiatives.
ROB BRINER - What is Evidence Based HR and Why is it Important? – Rob Briner shares the principles of evidence-based HR, how it differs from people analytics, and offers recommendations to chief people officers on how they can incorporate EBHR into their work.
LOUISE MILLAR AND OLIVIA EDWARDS - Actionable People Analytics Strategies to Influence Senior Leadership – In a powerful example of people analytics in practice at a SME, Louise Millar and Olivia Edwards share insights from the people analytics journey at Chetwood.
DAVID GREEN – How will AI transform the role of HR? – A round-up of series 36 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, with insights from episodes featuring Dawn Klinghoffer Jeremy Shapiro Thomas Hedegaard Rasmussen Serena H. Huang, Ph.D. Luke Farrugia Kaz Hassan Eric Siegel and Bernard Marr.
THANK YOU
Thomas Kohler for including the February edition of Data Driven HR in his round-up of HR resources.
Reb Rebele for referencing me in his post about the Wharton People Analytics Conference – you were missed, Reb.
Olimpiusz Papiez for providing a great set of takeaways on the Digital HR Leaders podcast episode with Dawn Klinghoffer, Jeremy Shapiro, and Thomas Rasmussen on People Analytics, AI and ML.
Peter Johnson for including me in his list of HR thought leaders.
Mokkup.ai for including my article on How Will AI Impact People Analytics in 2024 and Beyond? in their collection of Top 14 reads for Data Professionals.
Thinkers360 for including me in their list of the Top 50 B2B Thought Leaders, Analysts & Influencers You Should Work With In 2024 (EMEA)
Joveo for including me in their list of Top 9 Twitter Influencers Every Talent Acquisition Specialist Should Follow
To the following people who sharing the February edition of Data Driven HR Monthly. It's much appreciated: Allison Ardianto Eakkasit Toratana Jillian Meade David Balls (FCIPD) Kingsley Taylor Military Veterans of LinkedIn Robin Carlin Amy C. Lewis, PhD Russ Fatum Kouros Behzad Emily Klein Madison Clary Robert Rogowski Phillip M. Randall, PhD, CPG Gord Johnston MA, BHJ, BA, CHRP ANDRES CAMPOVERDE Aravind Warrier Francisca Solano Beneitez Satya Prakash Pandey Malgorzata (GOSIA) LANGLOIS Dr. Zohaib Azhar (PhD-HR) Jane Datta David McLean John Lawson Alice Damonte Martha Curioni Vipul M. Mali ↗️ Jens Keuter Phil Inskip Andrew Smith MBA Ekta Vyas Ph.D Oswaldo Machado Bill Brown Barry Marshall Paola Carranco Murthy Nibhanipudi VS Jaana Saramies ? Robert Houghton Aysegul Tigli Indre Radzeviciute Radha Jeevan Melissa Hopper Fritz Tina Peeters, PhD Morten Hartvig Berg Pedro Pereira Gavin Wiseman
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Insight222 Peer Meetings, like this event in London, are a core component of the Insight222 People Analytics Program®. They allow participants to learn, network and co-create solutions together with the purpose of ultimately growing the business value that people analytics can deliver to their organisations. If you would like to learn more, contact us today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 90 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
workforce planning
2024年03月31日
workforce planning
The best HR & People Analytics articles of February 2024
I’m writing the introduction to this month’s compendium in New York, ahead of two events this week in the Big Apple.
Firstly, I’m attending Gloat Live (thank you Ruslan Tovbulatov and the Gloat team), where I’ll be hosting a panel of three chief people officers – Michael Fraccaro Tanuj Kapilashrami and Tamla Oates-Forney– as well as sharing Insight222 research on building a data driven culture in HR. Also taking place this week is the Winter Peer Meeting for North American member companies of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which is being hosted by Sally Masseyand Courtney McMahon at Colgate-Palmolive’s headquarters on Park Avenue.
After a weekend back in the UK for my birthday, I’ll be heading back to the US for the Wharton People AnalyticsConference on March 14 and 15. If you’re going to Gloat Live or Wharton PAC, then please do come and say hello. I was also in Switzerland a few days ago for People Analytics WorldZürich (thanks to Barry Swales Ralf Buechsenschuss), and just a fortnight ago, Rob Etheridgeand his team kindly hosted the European Peer Meeting of the Insight222People Analytics Program at HSBC’s headquarters in London – you can read some of takeaways from London here. It’s certainly a busy period of travel - and lots of vapour trail!
Attendees at the Insight222 Q1 European Peer Meeting for members of the People Analytics Program, hosted by HSBC in London
Some of you have written to me to advise that you weren't able to join the recent Insight222 webinar on Turning Insight into Impact with People Analytics. You can find out more by scolling down to the Video of the Month below or access the recording by clicking on the image below.
Looking for a new role in people analytics or HR tech?
Before we get to this month’s collection of resources, I’d like to highlight once again the wonderful resource created by Richard Rosenowand the One Model team of open roles in people analytics and HR technology, which now numbers close to 500 roles.
Share the love!
Enjoy reading the collection of resources for February and, if you do, please share some data driven HR love with your colleagues and networks. Thanks to the many of you who liked, shared and/or commented on January’s compendium (including those in the Comments below).
If you enjoy a weekly dose of curated learning (and the Digital HR Leaders podcast), the Insight222 newsletter: Digital HR Leaders newsletter is published every Tuesday – subscribe here.
2024 HR TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
DELOITTE – 2024 Global Human Capital Trends: Thriving beyond boundaries – Human performance in a boundaryless world
The opening words of Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends perfectly capture the opportunity and challenge for HR today: “We’re operating in a world where work is no longer defined by jobs, the workplace is no longer a specific place, many workers are no longer traditional employees, and human resources is no longer a siloed function.” The seven trends covered in the report, each with its own chapter, are: (1) Embracing human sustainability, (2) Moving beyond productivity to measure human performance, (3) Balancing privacy with transparency to build trust, (4) Overcoming the imagination deficit, (5) Creating digital playgrounds to explore, experiment and play, (6) Cultivating workplace microcultures, and (7) Making the shift to a boundaryless HR. The report, which has 122 pages, is packed full of thought-provoking insights, visualisations and data – including FIG 1 and FIG 2 below. Kudos to the authors: Susan Cantrell Corrie Commisso Julie Duda Kraig Eaton Jason Flynn John Forsythe Michael Griffiths John Guziak Lauren Kirby David Mallon Mari Marcotte Shannon Poynton Nicole Scoble-Williams GAICD Yves Van Durme and Matteo Zanza.
We’re operating in a world where work is no longer defined by jobs, the workplace is no longer a specific place, many workers are no longer traditional employees, and human resources is no longer a siloed function.
FIG 1: In the era of human performance, business and human outcomes are mutually reinforcing (Source: Deloitte 2024 Global Human Capital Trends)
FIG 2: Source: Deloitte 2024 Global Human Capital Trends
ERNEST NG - What are the most Important things HR will need to focus on in 2024? | ALLISON BAUM GATES - Six predictions for the future of health, wealth, and work in 2024 | LYNDA GRATTON - Predictions for the Workplace of 2025, Revisited
Continuing with the prediction vibe, here are two more thoughtful reflections on what lies ahead and one reflection, 15 years on, from Lynda Gratton on her previous predictions about the future of work. (1) Ernest Ng, PhD, now at HiredScore– who Workdayhas just announced their intent to acquire, highlights a number of predictions for the year ahead combining a focus on efficiency, incorporating AI into the way we work and supporting employees to navigate change. (2) Allison Baum Gates, General Partner at SemperVirens Venture Capital combines the future of health, wealth and work into her predictions including: “AI’s primary impact in 2024 will be accelerating a shift to skills-based organizations.” (3) Lynda Gratton reflects on her Predictions for the Workforce of 2025, which she originally made in 2010 covering what she got right, where she misjudged, and what she learned about experimenting.
It will be wise to expect the unexpected. And when it comes, be prepared to observe closely, pivot quickly, and experiment widely.
HYBRID, GENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
ALEX CAMP, PHIL KIRSCHNER, LAURA PINEAULT, AND PATRICK SIMON - Hybrid can be healthy for your organization—when done right
Research from McKinsey suggesting that a fully remote organisation can demonstrate a level of organisational health that rivals, if not exceeds, the performance of most traditional companies. In the article, Alexandra Camp Phil Kirschner Laura Pineault and Dr. Patrick Simon highlight six priorities for companies aspiring to sustain a flexible or highly distributed workplace in parallel with top organisational health: (1) Remove ambiguity about working practices. (2) Reset performance expectations. (3) Be transparent. (4) Be purposeful about where people work. (5) Foster trust and a sense of support. (6) Test and learn.
Fully remote organizations can demonstrate a level of health that rivals, if not exceeds, the performance of most traditional companies.
FIG 3: Six priorities to sustain a flexible or highly distributed workplace (Source: McKinsey)
KELLY JONES - Unlocking the Power of Hybrid Work: 5 Guiding Principles from Cisco's 3-Year Study Article | White Paper | Executive Summary
Kelly Jones, Cisco's Chief People Officer, unveils the findings of a three year Future of Work study by Cisco’s People Intelligence Team, which was designed to explore the employee experience prior to the global pandemic, through the pandemic, to office re-opening and beyond. Kelly's article summarises five guiding principles for hybrid work including reimagining the office to create meaningful moments and encouraging leaders to be intentional with their attention. The executive summary also outlines five key findings and recommendations (see FIG 4): (1) People may be choosing to work from home, but in person touchpoints are still essential. (2) Effective collaboration is a balancing act. (3) Flexibility and choice positively influence engagement. (4) Leaders might be struggling the most. (5) Leader attention is the #1 predictor of engagement. Thanks to Roxanne Bisby Davis for highlighting.
Make the office a magnet, not a mandate
FIG 4: Source - Choice is Critical in the Future of Work (Cisco, 2024)
MICHAEL ARENA AND PHIL ARKCOLL - Enabling High-Velocity Teams
As Michael Arena and Philip Arkcoll outline, the significance of teams has never been greater, yet their effectiveness depends on being able to operate with both speed and focus. The article presents the findings of their research as to why focused teams outperform, and then provides five practices designed for teams to imbue more intentional collaboration: (1) Leverage collaboration phases. (2) Focused team structure. (3) Minimise frequent team shifts. (4) Actively manage dependencies and distractions. (5) Formation of integration teams.
With the rapid advancements in technology today, optimal team performance and speed matter disproportionately in ensuring market success.
FIG 5: Internally and externally focused agile teams (Source: Michael Arena and Philip Arkcoll)
GAD LEVANON | SHRM & THE BURNING GLASS INSTITUTE - Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Workforce
The Burning Glass Institute continues to publish fascinatingly insightful reports about the world of work. In their latest report, in collaboration with SHRM, Gad Levanon investigates how GenAI will impact industries, companies, and jobs, and reshape the economy. It reinforces that GenAI will have the greatest impact on high-skilled, professional work, provides indications of how GenAI will impact the economy (see FIG 6) and provides four actions for CHROs to: (1) Evaluate your organisation’s composition, (2) Evaluate the roles within your organisation, (3) Consider your current talent pipeline, and (4) Develop a game plan.
In the coming years, GenAI will both drive massive boosts in productivity and necessitate layoffs. Begin planning ways to leverage GenAI’s productivity benefits and prepare for the disruptions to your workforce through a combination of upskilling investments to give workers the skills to remain relevant and reskilling programs to reposition workers in areas of more stable demand.
FIG 6: Sequence of economic disruptions caused by GenAI (Source: SHRM and The Burning Glass Institute)
FIG 7: Implications of GenAI for HR functions (Source: SHRM and The Burning Glass Institute)
ANA KREACIC, AMY LASATER-WILLE, LUCIA URIBE, RAVIN JESUTHASAN, JOHN ROMEO, AND SIMON LUONG - How Generative AI Is Changing The Future Of Work | TED LIU, CARINA DENG, AND KELLY MONAHAN - How Generative AI Adds Value to the Future of Work
Two studies analysing the impact of GenAI on the world of work. The first by Ana Kreacic Amy Lasater-Wille Lucia Uribe Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA John Romeo and Simon Luong for the Oliver Wyman Forum finds that GenAI could add up to $20 trillion to global GDP by 2030 and save 300 billion work hours a year. It also finds that while 96% of employees believe AI can help them in their current job, 60% are afraid it will eventually automate them out of work. There are numerous other insights and visualisations in the 100 page report including a projection of the likely productivity gains at work from GenAI in the next decade (see FIG 8). The second study, by Ted Liu Carina Deng and Kelly Monahan, Ph.D.for the UpworkResearch Institute, provides a comprehensive analysis of the initial impact of GenAI on the Upwork marketplace for independent talent. It finds that the impacts may already being felt with reductions in demand for work such as writing and translation and a surge in demand for skills associated with GenAI such as data science and analytics.
Generative AI could add up to $20 trillion to global GDP by 2030 and save 300 billion work hours a year.
FIG 8: Phases of generative AI’s impact on productivity at work (Source: Oliver Wyman Forum)
GEORGE WESTERMAN, SAM RANSBOTHAM, AND CHIARA FARRONATO - Find the AI Approach That Fits the Problem You’re Trying to Solve | TOMAS CHAMORRO-PREMUZIC - 7 Strategies to Get Your Employees On Board with GenAI | ANDY BALDWIN - 3 Ways to Embed DEI Into Your Company’s AI Strategy | MARTHA CURIONI – Why is Explainable AI Important for HR? | BRETT DYKES - Why AI Isn’t Going To Solve All Your Data Culture Problems
There may be a far degree of hype around GenAI, but it does seem to be accelerating the engagement of HR leaders and professionals with AI, and is also leading to an increasing number of thoughtful studies and articles on AI, including these five resources: (1) George Westerman Sam Ransbotham and Chiara Farronatooutline four categories of advanced analytics – GenAI, traditional deep learning, econometrics, and rule-based automation, and offer five questions to ask about AI’s constraints including: What is the cost of being wrong? (2) As Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic observes: “the human factor — people and culture — will drive the adoption of AI, or lack thereof.” Tomas then presents seven strategies to get employees on board including i) focusing on the problem that GenAI can solve, and ii) being proactive about ethical concerns. (3) In his article for Harvard Business Review, Andy Baldwin outlines three ways to incorporate DEI into AI strategy through: i) embedding DEI into the design of your AI systems; ii) incorporating DEI into any AI-related upskilling programs; and iii) using AI as an opportunity to boost DEI. (4) Martha Curioni defines explainable AI and explains why it is critical to HR so it can provide transparency, build trust, mitigate bias and enable data driven decision making. (5) Finally, Brent Dykes cautions that while a recent study found that GenAI had catalysed a dramatic rise in the number of companies that reported they had ‘created a data-driven organization’ (from 23.9 percent in 2023 to 48.1 percent in 2024), AI is not a silver bullet for data culture. He illustrates this (see FIG 9) by referencing a study a European bank did to assess its own data culture, before highlighting two proven ways to build a data culture: executive sponsorship and role-modelling, and talent.
As with any aspect of digital transformation, the effective deployment of generative AI will depend less on technological capability than on human adaptability
FIG 9: Source: Brent Dykes, Analytics Hero
PEOPLE ANALYTICS
MARIËLLE SONNENBERG, FEDERICO BECHINI, SIETSE SCHRÖDER, AND CAITLIN VAN MIL - Our Real-Life Journey with GenAI in Skills and Talent Management (with code!!) | ADAM MCKINNON – Introducing Lex – Australian Employment Law Support AI | ALEC LEVENSON - A killer app with huge upsides and dangerous downsides: Applying AI to People Analytics
Two examples of GenAI in People Analytics in practice – and an article by Alec Levenson on AI in people analytics. (1) the Wolters Kluwer talent analytics team of Mariëlle Sonnenberg, PhD Federico Bechini Sietse Schröder and Caitlin van Mil share a case study of using GenAI to provide the foundation of their work to transition to a skills-based organisation. The article shares learnings from their journey (and the code!) including tips around data security, prompts, and system testing. (2) Adam McKinnon, PhD. presents Lex – an AI chatbot that has been trained on Australian workplace legislation. As Adam explains, Lex has been trained not to make up answers, and it should refuse to answer any question that cannot be answered using the legal documents it has been trained on. (3) Alec Levenson addresses the potential upsides and risks of applying AI to PA before providing a roadmap for ethical and effective application.
A human- and science-based perspective on any People Analytics model’s predictions is always needed, whether AI is applied or not.
PIETRO MAZZOLENI - Unlocking People Data: Lessons from Transforming IBM's Data Platform to Elevate People Analytics - The Why and the What | JON LESTER - Creating the future of human resources
Pietro Mazzoleni presents the first edition of what promises to be an interesting and insightful new LinkedIn newsletter, People Data Platform, which will explore the evolution of IBM's internal people data platform and its role in fostering data democratisation and people analytics. The first instalment covers the what and the why, and also provides an overview of Workforce 360 (W360 – see FIG 10), IBM’s internal people data platform. Pietro explains that the initial focus for W360 was (1) to digitalise People Scorecard, IBM´s main talent dashboard that measures the health of the workforce, and (2) to scale IBM’s advanced AI solutions like Job Recommendation, Attrition Risk Analysis, and Compensation Advisor. I recommend reading Pietro’s article alongside the second article, featuring Jon Lester on how in an initial pilot in IBM Consulting, a digital AI assistant (HiRo) saved 12,000 hours in one quarter, and halved the quarterly promotion process from 10 to 5 weeks.
FIG 10: Benefits of Workforce 360 (Source: IBM, Pietro Mazzoleni)
WILLIS JENSEN - Why Is It So Hard to Get Finance and HR Aligned? | JACKSON ROATCH - The Behavioral Economics of Return to Office | LYDIA WU - The Problem with “I Don’t Disagree” in People Analytics | JARED VALDRON - An FAQ on Generative AI in People Analytics | ANSHUL SHEOPURI - People Operations As A Critical Differentiator For Employee Experience | JUSTIN PURL - The People Analytics Method: Why TikTok's Head of Global People Analytics prioritizes context not control
As has also been the case in recent months, February saw a number of articles from current and recent people analytics leaders. These act as a spur and inspiration to the field. Six are highlighted here. (1) Willis Jensenboils down the traditional disconnect between HR and Finance teams on headcount: “There are some fundamental differences in counting the number of people (headcount) versus counting the amount of worker productivity (FTE) and both are necessary for different goals.” (2) Jackson Roatchanalyses the return to office topic through the lens of behavioural economics. (3) Lydia Wubreaks down why hearing “I don’t disagree” is a problem for people analytics, and in doing so highlights the importance of building trust with key stakeholders. (4) Jared Valdronprovides a set of answers to 18 frequently asked questions about GenAI in people analytics including i)) Is generative AI a good co-pilot for programming? ii) How will generative AI change the People Analytics job market? (5) Anshul Sheopurihighlights five areas where providing a frictionless experience is key to a successful EX program including i) Design with the user in mind and build for scale, and ii) Trusted data enables a solid foundation and responsible AI delivers personalised experiences. (6) Justin Purl Head of Global People Analytics of TikTok, introduces The People Analytics Method (see FIG 11) as a scientific approach for accumulating context that delivers impactful insights and supports HR decision-making
While it can be challenging to measure the financial impact of HR projects, that shouldn’t stop HR from trying to build those business cases.
FIG 11: The People Analytics Method (Source: Justin Purl)
Two key parts of The People Analytics Method are understanding context and engaging employees.
THE EVOLUTION OF HR, LEARNING, AND DATA DRIVEN CULTURE
J. PUCKETT, VINCIANE BEAUCHENE, PATRICK ERKER, AND ZHDAN SHAKIROV – Is Your Upskilling Program Paying Off
Measuring the Return on Learning Investment is arguably the Holy Grail of upskilling programs, but according to this article by BCG it is in fact possible. In their article, J. Puckett Vinciane Beauchene C. Patrick G. E. and Ƶhdan Shakirovpresent a three-step approach: (1) Identify the desired business impact upfront. (2) Define the metrics for holding the program accountable to that impact and measuring progress. (3) Determine whether the targeted impact has been achieved.
Before embarking on any upskilling program, organizations first need to establish the business impact they will measure after the program is over.
FIG 12: Metrics for assessing the impact of learning programs (Source: BCG)
DAVE ULRICH AND HARRISON JAMES - How to Ensure that Human Capability Investments Deliver Stakeholder Value
As Dave Ulrich and Harrison James explain in their article, organisations typically rely on benchmarking and best practices to evaluate the return from human capital investments. They argue that these methods are often limited and do not provide the specific guidance to impact the business results of individual companies. Their article sets out an alternative: an Organization Guidance System (OGS), which begins by identifying the stakeholder outcomes relevant in your company as a precursor to then determining through providing an opportunity score (see FIG 13) for which human capability initiatives best deliver those outcomes.
FIG 13: Source: Dave Ulrich, The RBL Group
WORKFORCE PLANNING, ORG DESIGN, AND SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATIONS
MARC EFFRON - Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? Questions About Becoming a Skills-based Organization
As Marc Effron of The Talent Strategy Group highlights in his remarkable must-read article, there have been many claims made by consulting firms and technology providers about the case for shifting to being a skills-based organisation. In the article, Marc examines these claims, asking and answering 17 questions about skills-based organisations. The questions include: (1) If a skills-based approach is needed, why is it needed? (2) What changes will my organisation have to make to become a skill-based organisation? (3) Is there any proof that a skills-based approach delivers results? (4) Will AI and technology solutions better enable companies to track, manage and match skills? (5) How predictively accurate are skills in determining performance? Whatever side of the skills-based organisation debate you are on, I highly recommend reading Marc’s article.
At best, shifting to a skills-based environment can help some people in some situations at a large cost. It is likely best suited to industries where there is financial largess including pharmaceutical, banking, and larger consumer products firms. At worst, it reflects HR’s continued pursuit of novelty with the giddy support of technology and consulting firms that are all-too willing to promote and enable this questionable solution.
SCOTT REIDA - Draft priority role competency needs over time using ChatGPT4 and Tableau
A practical and technical guide from Scott Reida a workforce strategist at AWS, as he demonstrates how to use ChatGPT to drive talent intelligence by identifying current and future developments for key roles within an organisation. Scott visualises the outputs from ChatGPT in Tableau over a time horizon of ten years using the example of competencies for a data scientist.
FIG 14: Source – Scott Reida (access here)
EMPLOYEE LISTENING, EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
ALICE DAMONTE, DANIEL MORALES, AND SARAH TOBEY - Employee listening programs and how to keep employees talking | IT SURVEY GROUP - What’s on the Horizon? Three Trends That Will Shape Employee Listening in 2024
Alice Damonte Daniel Morales and Sarah Tobeyfrom McKinsey’s internal people analytics and measurement team share learnings from Pulse, their continuous listening program. This capability has already enabled the team to shape more than 300 different initiatives since it was established three years ago. Their article focuses on two key elements of a successful employee listening program: (1) Making it easy and meaningful for employees to participate, which is enabled by providing transparency through firm-wide readouts, community dialogues, and individualised insights with support. (2) Making it straightforward for leaders to listen and act, which the team enable through ‘care packages’ to help leaders focus their attention on what matters most. For readers that enjoy this, I also recommend the second article, which features EX/HR leaders such as Kristin Saboe, Ph.D. Caitie Jacobson Stephanie Andel, PhD Patrick Gallen, MSOD Madison Beard and Ronald Ivan Dela Cruz forecasting three key trends for employee listening in 2024.
To ensure an employee listening channel is sufficiently well stocked with timely insights, it must be easy and meaningful for employees to participate, and straightforward for leaders to listen and act.
FIG 15: Source: McKinsey
FIG 16: Three key trends shaping employee listening in 2024 (Source: IT Survey Group)
LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE
AMY C. LEWIS, ANDREA DERLER, CUTHBERT CHOW, MANDA WINLAW, AND DANI HAIG – Designing Impactful Teams: Data-backed insights about effective team size
What does team size have to do with designing high-performing teams? That was the exam question, the Visier Inc.team of Andrea Derler, Ph.D. Cuthbert Chow Manda Winlaw and Dani Haigsought to answer in a collaborative study with Amy C. Lewis, PhD Professor of Management at the College of Business at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Key findings include: (1) Most people work in teams of six to ten. (2) Team size varies by the nature of the work. (3) Smaller teams have more high performers. (4) Smaller teams have lower resignation rates (see FIG 17). The report has some helpful insights for those studying team effectiveness and involved in organisational design work.
FIG 17: Smaller teams have lower resignation rates (Source: Visier)
SPENCER HARRISON AND KRISTIE ROGERS - Building Culture From the Middle Out
The premise of a study by Spencer Harrisonand Kristie Rogersis for a business to harness the power of culture, it needs managers and team leaders to go beyond believing that they are responsible for culture to actively building it. Their research finds that managers that successfully achieve this are able to link the ‘big-C’ culture of their organisation (e.g. the official set of values) with the ‘small-c’ culture that plays out in the narrower and vibrant daily patterns of interaction (see FIG 18). The article highlights four successful strategies: (1) Endorse big-C culture through celebration and preservation of select features. (2) Endorse big-C culture by learning from other managers. (3) Enrich small-c culture through cultural innovations. (4) Enrich small-c culture by empowering employees to innovate.
FIG 18: Endorse and Enrich Your Way to Corporate Culture (Source: Harrison and Rogers)
JOSH BERSIN - How to Actually Execute a 4-Day Workweek | DOUGLAS BROOM - Four-day work week trial in Spain leads to healthier workers, less pollution | BENJAMIN LAKER – How Far-Reaching Could the Four-Day Workweek Become? AVA MARTINEZ – A 3-Day Workweek Could Complicate The Future of Work
Four articles on the four-day week, a concept that seems to be gathering momentum with pilots suggesting that business outcomes can be maintained while employee wellbeing and retention is enhanced. (1) Josh Bersinpresents findings from his study that finds companies need to undertake substantial work redesign to reduce hours while maintaining business outcomes to make the four-day week work. (2) Writing for the World Economic Forum, Douglas Broom shares results from a four-day work week pilot in Valencia, which found that giving workers an extra day off a week actually increases productivity, boosts physical and mental health and reduces CO2 emissions. (3) Benjamin Laker, who has been studying the four-day week for a number of years, outlines the findings from a UK study on the four-day week, which finds that 92% of the 61 companies that participated in the pilot are continuing with the four-day week. Laker also highlights that research conducted before and after the trial revealed that 39% of employees experienced lower stress levels and 71% noticed less burnout while working shorter weeks (see FIG 19). (4) From being one of the CEO outliers on return to the office, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon suggests that AI may precipitate a future of work where the working week is three days – as reported by Ava Martinez for The HR Digest.
FIG 19: Source: The UK’s four-day week pilot (Autonomy)
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
SERENA HUANG - DEI Funding Cuts? You Need Data Analytics and AI More Than Ever | BOGDAN YAMKOVENKO AND STEPHEN TAVARES - To Understand Whether Your Company Is Inclusive, Map How Your Employees Interact
With many companies and institutions – particularly in the US – cutting back on their DEI programs, a recent edition of Serena H. Huang, Ph.D. From Data to Action newsletter is well timed. Serena explains how people data and analytics can help reverse this trend and highlights a number of helpful resources. One of the resources Serena highlights is a seminal article by Bogdan Yamkovenko, PhD and Stephen Tavares first published in Harvard Business Review in 2017. It provides a case study of a professional services firm that used organisational network analysis to identify that that women were largely shut out of its decision making, idea sharing, and emotional support networks (see FIG 20). For more from Serena, please tune into her recent conversation with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast: How to Enhance Your Career in People Analytics.
FIG 20: 3 ways to look at employee networks at one professional services firm (Source: Heidrick & Struggles)
HR TECH VOICES
Much of the innovation in the field continues to be driven by the vendor community, and I’ve picked out a few resources from February that I recommend readers delve into:
LOÏC MICHEL | 365TALENTS – Your Absolute How to Guide to Skills Management – A handy guide to skills management from Loïc Michel and the 365Talentsteam featuring guidance and case studies.
ALICIA ROACH - Let's Talk About Lay-Offs – Alicia Roach of eQ8 frames the recent spate of layoffs from companies posting impressive profits in the context of culture and workforce planning (see FIG 21). As Alicia writes: “We can do better. We must do better.”
FIG 21: Scenario modelling and external shocks (Source: Alicia Roach, eQ8)
RICHARD ROSENOW - Embracing Remote Work for Senior People Analytics Roles: A Strategic Imperative – Richard Rosenow of One Model makes a persuasive case for why every organisation looking to lead in People Analytics should consider making their senior roles, if not all of their People Analytics roles, remote eligible. For more on people analytics jobs, check out this analysis of executive and director people analytics roles by Patrick Coolen.
BLEDI TASKA - SkyHive Data Reveals Greater Gender Disparity in the Generative AI Sector Compared to the Tech Industry at Large – Bledi Taska, Ph.D. presents SkyHive data and key findings on the impact of Generative Al on the U.S. job market and economy. His analysis highlights the urgent need for reskilling and upskilling initiatives to mitigate inequality in the workforce. Thanks to Todd Raphael for highlighting.
HAKKI OZDENOREN - Move Over HR, AI Is the New Recruiter! – Hakki Ozdenorenpresents data and analysis from Revelio Labs, which finds that HR job postings mentioning AI are surging ahead of other listings. This underscores the need for HR professionals to reskill in areas like AI and data literacy. Thanks to Ben Zweig for highlighting.
FIG 22: AI related job postings in HR roles are on the rise (Source: Revelio Labs)
MARC RAMOS - Learning & Development is the New Research & Development - How the Learning Function Can be the AI Accelerator Part 1 | Part 2 – Cornerstone OnDemand CLO Marc Steven Ramos presents his two-part series on the L&D function investigating, testing and extending the use of AI within organisations – includes FIG 23 on blending R&D and L&D approaches.
FIG 23: Complementing R&D and L&D approaches (Source: Marc Ramos)
PODCASTS OF THE MONTH
In another month of high-quality podcasts, I’ve selected five gems for your aural pleasure: (you can also check out the latest episodes of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast – see ‘From My Desk’ below):
HEMERSON PAES, COLE NAPPER, AND SCOTT HINES - Active & Passive ONA Use Cases at Roche – Hemerson Paes joins hosts Cole Napperand Scott Hines, PhDon the Directionally Correct podcast to share his work rolling out active and passive ONA applications at scale at Roche.
BOB SUTTON AND ADAM GRANT - How to become a “friction-fixer” – Leading management thinker and organisational psychologist at Stanford, Bob Sutton, joins Adam Grant on ReThinking to discuss his new book, The Friction Project, on how to diagnose and then fix workplace problems. Unmissable.
JASON CORSELLO AND LAURIE RUETTIMANN - HR Technology 2024 – Jason Corsello from Acadian Ventures joins Laurie Ruettimannon Punk Rock HR to discuss the state of the HR tech market, the potential and concerns of AI, and the importance of future skills.
ANDREW SAIDY AND CHRIS RAINEY - Why a Talent Marketplace is Win-Win for Employees and Organisations - Andrew Saidy joins Christopher Rainey of HR Leaders to discuss his work at Ubisoft, where skills are becoming the currency for hiring, mobility and promotions rather than solely relying on degrees or tenure.
STEPHANIE DENINO, KIRAN MENON, AND DEBKANYA DHAR VYAVAHARKAR - Moving EX from boardroom to office floor - Stephanie Denino of TI PEOPLE speaks to hosts of the EXtra Extra podcast Kiran Menon and Debkanya Dhar Vyavaharkar about the findings of the State of EX report, and applying agile principles towards shipping EX ideas out of the boardroom and onto the office floor.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
NAOMI VERGHESE, ALAN SUSI AND DAVID GREEN | INSIGHT222 - How Leading Companies shift People Analytics from Insight to Impact
Please forgive the mild case of self-indulgence, but the ‘Video of the Month’ is actually a webinar we recently hosted at Insight222based on our People Analytics Trends research, which was informed by a survey of 271 participating companies. In the webinar, Naomi Vergheseand I walked through the findings from the Insight222 People Analytics Trends research, unveiling the distinctive characteristics of ABCD Teams that propel organisations to new heights. Naomi and I were joined by Alan Susi, VP and Global Head of Organisational Analytics and People Insights at S&P Global. Alan shared insights on how the firm successfully elevated their approach to people analytics, turning data into tangible business outcomes. You can access the webinar here – or by clicking the image below.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
JOHN WINSOR AND JIN H. PAIK – Open Talent: Leveraging the Global Workforce to Solve Your Biggest Challenges
In Open Talent, John Winsor and Jin Paik advocate that companies need to shift to a more ‘distributed’ structure that revolves around talent (people) and projects in a networked organisation. In this model, talent is assembled from both inside the organisation (via an internal talent marketplace) and outside (via external talent clouds). The authors reveal how they implemented open talent strategies, and how other companies can adopt these techniques. A thoughtful and insightful read.
RESEARCH REPORT OF THE MONTH
SHELLEY XIN LI, FRANK NAGLE, AND ANER ZHOU - Mapping Organizational-Level Networks Using Individual-Level Connections: Evidence from Online Professional Networks
An interesting paper by Shelley Xin Li, Frank Nagle, and Aner Zhou for the Harvard Business School Strategy Unit, which constructs and describes a comprehensive network for 7,715 publicly traded U.S. firms from 2004 to 2018, using data on over 9 million people with 2 billion connections from the professional social network LinkedIn. The key finding is that while employees do not necessarily make connections for the company’s benefit, the centrality of that company in the employee network positively predicts company value. Thanks to Nicolas BEHBAHANI for highlighting.
FIG 24: Firm-level Network Centrality and Economic Performance for U.S. Public Firms in 2018 (Source: Li, Nagle, and Zhou, 2023)
FROM MY DESK
February saw the final two episodes of Series 36 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, sponsored by ScreenCloud as well as the first episode of Series 37 sponsored by Culture Amp. Thank you respectively to Luke Farrugia of ScreenCloud and Ellisa Packer and Jodie Evans of Culture Amp.
ERIC SIEGEL - How to Overcome AI Adoption Challenges in HR – Eric Siegel, the author of The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment, explains how to successfully deploy machine learning in organisations while remaining focused on outcomes, ethics, and improving decision making.
BERNARD MARR - Achieving AI & Human Synergy in Data-Driven HR – Bernard Marr, who always has his finger on the pulse when it comes to new technologies, shares insights from his book, Data-Driven HR: How to Use AI, Analytics and Data to Drive Performance, and how AI is already impacting HR, and how it will increasingly do so in the future.
REBECCA THIELEN - Microsoft's Key to Strategic Workforce Planning Success – Rebecca Thielen shares insights from the workforce planning journey at Microsoft, including the role of analytics, close partnership with finance, and the clear focus on the problem statement.
ANGELA LE MATHON, IAN COOK, AND DAVID GREEN - The Strategic Agenda for People Analytics in 2024 – I also hosted a webinar with Angela LE MATHON and Ian Cook, which was organised by Visier Inc. and People Analytics World, to discuss the agenda for people analytics in 2024. Topics discussed included the role of middle management in strategic decision-making, the impact of AI on people analytics, and the practical challenges and strategies for implementing AI and analytics within HR frameworks.
THANK YOU
Finally, this month I’d like to thank:
Matt Manners and the team at Inspiring Workplaces for once again including me on their Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencers 2024, sponsored by Huler.
Jennifer McClurefor including me in her list of recommendations for HR professionals looking to build a Personal Development Library.
Amit Mohindrafor including Excellence in People Analytics as one of the course materials for his people analytics course at Stanford University
Malgorzata (GOSIA) LANGLOIS for posting about the Microsoft case study contributed by Dawn Klinghoffer in Excellence in People Analytics.
Stephen Hickey for including me in his list of go-to resources on people analytics.
Dr. Divya Sainath for posting about our conversation at the recent Indeed Future Talent event in Bangalore.
Thomas Kohler for including the January edition of Data Driven HR Monthly in his list of HR Resources.
Teamflect for including the Digital Hr Leaders podcast at number six in its list of the top 20 HR podcasts.
Ekta Vyas Ph.D for posting about my article, A History of People Analytics in Five Ages.
Andrew Lafontaine for creating a post with highlights from the episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast on How to Overcome AI Adoption Challenges in HR with Eric Siegel.
Wendy Van Ierschot for including me in her post about her book, Scale Ups and Downs.
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST INSIGHT222 PEOPLE ANALYTICS TRENDS RESEARCH
We’ve recently released our fourth annual People Analytics Trends report at Insight222: Investing to Deliver Value: A new Model for People Analytics, which is now available to download via the link – or by clicking on the image below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 90 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
SEE ME AT THESE EVENTS
I'll be speaking about people analytics, the future of work, and data driven HR at a number of upcoming events in 2024:
March 4-6 - Gloat Live! (New York)
March 14-15 - Wharton People Analytics Conference (Philadelphia)
April 24-25 - People Analytics World (London)
May 7-9 - UNLEASH America (Las Vegas)
September 24-26 - Insight222 Global Executive Retreat (Colorado, US) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
October 16-17 - UNLEASH World (Paris)
More events will be added as they are confirmed.
workforce planning
2024年03月03日
workforce planning
The best HR & People Analytics articles of January 20242024年对HR专业人士来说是充满挑战和机遇的一年。经济不确定性、地缘政治紧张和技术进步是主要的挑战。文章强调了生产力的重要性，以及来自PwC、麦肯锡和埃森哲的洞察。利物浦经理朱尔根·克洛普的离职案例展示了领导力和文化的重要性。文章还强调了人力资源分析的重要性，提供了来自领先公司的见解。
2024年的HR趋势和预测涵盖了人工智能的影响和向基于技能的组织的转变。工作场所的心理安全、多样性、平等、包容和归属感仍然是重要议题。这篇文章为HR专业人士提供了全面的指导，帮助他们在未来一年中导航复杂性。
2024 is set to be a momentous year. With economic uncertainty, rising geopolitical conflict, and rapid advances in technology, it is also set to be a stormy 12 months for the world, for organisations, and for HR professionals too.
Perhaps this explains the slew of insightful resources in January, which has made compiling this month’s collection as challenging as it has been enjoyable. One of the key focuses has been on ‘productivity’, and I’ve brought together a number of resources on this topic. There are also new studies from the likes of PwC, McKinsey, Glassdoor, Accenture, and Deloitte as well as articles featuring practitioners from companies including Spotify, Microsoft, Ericsson, Lloyds Banking Group, and Standard Chartered. There’s lots to enjoy and learn from.
Join me for a webinar on February 21 to discover how Leading Companies shift People Analytics from insight to impact
Are you an HR or People Analytics Leader seeking to transform your organisation’s People Analytics from mere insights to impactful business outcomes? If so, I invite you to join me for a webinar that Insight222 is hosting on February 21. Naomi Verghese and I will walk through the findings from the Insight222 People Analytics Trends research, unveiling the distinctive characteristics of ABCD Teams that propel organisations to new heights. Naomi and I will be joined by Alan Susi, VP and Global Head of Organisational Analytics and People Insights at S&P Global. Alan will share insights into how S&P Global successfully elevated their approach to people analytics, turning data into tangible business outcomes. You can register for the webinar here – or by clicking the image below.
Jürgen Klopp – a study in leadership, culture, and analytics
As a fervent supporter, I’m still processing the totally unexpected news that Jürgen Klopp will be leaving his post as the manager of Liverpool at the end of the current football season. In his press conference on taking the reins at Anfield in October 2015, Klopp stated his goal was to turn Liverpool from “doubters to believers.” He has done this with some aplomb amassing a haul of seven trophies (to date) including the Champions League in 2019 and then, the following year, the Holy Grail of Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years.
But Klopp is more than a brilliant football manager. He is the epitome of an empathetic leader. His emotional intelligence and natural humility not only endears Klopp to his players, but to supporters too for whom he is adored. The reaction to the news reduced many Liverpool supporters to tears. I’m still hoping – probably forlornly - that like Alex Ferguson in 2002, Klopp will change his mind and stay.
In the likely event that he does depart, I’m sure that multiple studies will be made on Klopp’s time at Anfield, and that his leadership skills, use of data and analytics, and ability to build an inclusive winning culture will be deservedly celebrated. YNWA.
Looking for a new role in people analytics or HR tech?
Before we get to this month’s collection of resources, I’d like to highlight once again the wonderful resource created by Richard Rosenow and the One Model team of open roles in people analytics and HR technology, which now numbers over 500 roles.
Looking for a people analytics event to attend in 2024?
Richard Rosenow has also been busy compiling a study of People Analytics Conferences to attend in 2024 with the data collected from practitioners themselves. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), People Analytics World and the Wharton People Analytics Conference all come out well as does the Insight222 Global Executive Retreat. Thanks to Richard for putting this together.
Share the love!
Enjoy reading the collection of resources for January and, if you do, please share some data driven HR love with your colleagues and networks. Thanks to the many of you who liked, shared and/or commented on December’s compendium (including those in the Comments below).
If you enjoy a weekly dose of curated learning (and the Digital HR Leaders podcast), the Insight222 newsletter: Digital HR Leaders newsletter is published every Tuesday – subscribe here.
THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY
MCKINSEY - 2024 and beyond: Will it be economic stagnation or the advent of productivity-driven abundance? | PwC - 27th Annual Global CEO Survey: Thriving in an age of continuous reinvention | JOSH BERSIN - HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity | ERIK BRYNJOLFSSON - How AI Will Transform Productivity | BEN WABER AND NATHANAEL J. FAST - Is GenAI’s Impact on Productivity Overblown?
When I talk with CHROs and People Analytics Leaders at the companies we work with at Insight222, one of the words I’m hearing most at the moment is ‘productivity’. Continuing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the promise of AI, and challenging talent demographics are all fuelling the demand for productivity from CEOs. Here are five resources that can be filed under the ‘productivity’ umbrella: (1) McKinsey’s Ezra Greenberg, Asutosh Padhi, and Sven Smit present a model for businesses to capture the three-sided productivity opportunity (see FIG 1). (2) Amongst a ton of takeaways, the standout theme from the annual PwC CEO survey is that the vast majority of participating companies are already taking some steps towards reinvention, while CEOs believe that 40% of their work is wasted productivity (see FIG 2). (3) Josh Bersin draws from the PwC survey in his 2024 predictions, where he outlines The Productivity Advantage where “If you can help your company move faster (productivity implies speed, not only profit), you can reinvent faster than your competition.” (4) Stanford professor Erik Brynjolfsson offers leaders an overview of how AI will transform productivity. (5) Finally, Ben Waber and Nathanael Fast’s absorbing essay in Harvard Business Review cautions leaders on leaning into the hype on GAI’s supposed positive impact on productivity too heavily. The authors break down two of the key challenges with LLMs: a) their persistent ability to produce convincing falsities and b) the likely long-term negative effects of using LLMs on employees and internal processes.
FIG 1: The three-side productivity opportunity (Source: McKinsey)
FIG 2: CEOs estimate administrative inefficiency at 40% (Source: PwC)
GERGELY OROSZ AND ABI NODA - Measuring Developer Productivity: Real-World Examples
Continuing the productivity theme, this is an invaluable resource by Gergely Orosz and Abi Noda in The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter. It provides detail on developer productivity metrics at 17 tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Spotify, and Uber (see summary in FIG 3).
FIG 3: Developer productivity metrics at 17 tech companies (Source: Pragmatic Engineer)
2024 HR TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
JASMINE PANAYIDES - Nine Ways to Put HR Trends and Predictions into Practice in 2024
There has been a flood of articles advising what the key HR trends, predictions, and opportunities for 2024 are, but how are HR professionals supposed to make sense of these? In her article for the myHRfuture blog, Jasmine Panayides provides actionable tips on how HR professionals can apply the trends, predictions and opportunities to their work, and their organisations so they can deliver value to the company and the workforce. Jasmine also helpfully summarises the trends/predictions from a variety of sources into one table (see FIG 4), including from: Visier Inc., Gartner, Bernard Marr, UNLEASH, Mercer, and Culture Amp as well as my own 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 article.
FIG 4: Analysis of HR Trends and Predictions for 2024 (Source: myHRfuture)
KATARINA BERG - HR Trends for 2024 | GARTNER - 9 Future of Work Trends for 2024 | GLASSDOOR – 2024 Workforce Trends | HUNG LEE - Forecasting 2024 in Recruitment Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 | KEVIN WHEELER - What Does 2024 Hold in Store for Us? | STACIA GARR AND DANI JOHNSON – 2024 Mega Trends and how people leaders should respond (Webinar)
The deluge of commentators offering their HR trends and opportunities continued in January. As such, it is a challenge to sort the wheat from the chaff but in addition to those I highlighted in this compendium in December, and in Jasmine’s article above, I recommend diving into the following: (1) Spotify’s chief people officer, Katarina Berg, highlights ten trends with the common theme being each trend is a bridge, connecting the past with the future, and HR professionals are the architects crafting these vital links – including “Staying Human in the Age of AI – The Humanity Bridge”. (2) Gartner’s Jordan Turner and Emily Rose McRae highlight nine future of work trends for the year ahead (see FIG 5). (3) Aaron Terrazas and Daniel Zhao identify eight workforce trends based on Glassdoor’s data on workplace satisfaction, culture, and conversations. (4) Hung Lee is at the cutting edge of recruiting and HR tech, so his four-part series on recruiting in 2024 is definitely worth checking out – two examples include: “Multi-generational replaces neurodiversity as DEIB hot topic” and “Capital Allocation Shifts from Sourcing & Engagement to Assessment & Verification Tech”. (5) Futurist Kevin Wheeler offers seven insights and predictions together with his self-assessed certainty rating including “Generative AI will dominate, and every product will attempt to incorporate AI. 90% certainty” and “More firms will embrace a four-day workweek 50% certainty”. (6) Finally, I strongly recommend viewing the 2024 Mega Trends webinar hosted by Stacia Sherman Garr and Dani Johnson for RedThread Research, which breaks down the key macro factors impacting the world of work and how HR can respond.
FIG 5: 9 Future of Work Trends for 2024 (Source: Gartner)
GREG NEWMAN - 10 important topics that HR will likely ignore in 2024
Greg Newman takes an alternative, wry and contrarian approach by focusing his list of “predictions” on ten things most HR teams will continue to ignore in 2024. My favourite three are: (1) speaking the language of the business, (2) focusing AI conversations on ethics before technology, and (3) learning that good data is required to realise the dreams of AI and analytics.
By aligning HR language with business terminology, we can more effectively demonstrate the value of our initiatives in a way that resonates with business stakeholders.
GENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
ELLYN SHOOK AND PAUL DAUGHERTY - Work, workforce, workers: Reinvented in the age of generative AI
A new study from Accenture, co-authored by Ellyn Shook and Paul Daugherty, on how generative AI is impacting work, provides guidance on how leaders can: “Set and guide a vision to reinvent work, reshape the workforce and prepare workers for a generative AI world, while building a resilient culture to navigate continuous waves of change.” The report reveals a trust gap between workers and leaders on key elements related to GAI’s impact on work, the workforce, and workers. The authors also highlight four accelerators for leaders to navigate the journey ahead: (1) Lead and learn in new ways, (2) Reinvent work, (3) Reshape the workforce (see example in FIG 6), and (4) Prepare workers.
FIG 6: Illustrative example of how work and roles can be reallocated in a GAI future (Source: Accenture)
ROGER W. HOERL AND THOMAS C. REDMAN - What Managers Should Ask About AI Models and Data Sets
The decision on whether to deploy AI models within an organisation ultimately lies with business leaders who may not be qualified to identify risks and weaknesses related to AI models and data sets. In their article, Roger Hoerl and Tom Redman provide (1) A framework (see FIG 7) designed to equip leaders with context and based on their concept of the right data. (2) A set of six questions for leaders to ask their AI model developers before and during modelling work and deployment. (3) Guidance for leaders on how to assess AI model developers’ answers to those six questions.
FIG 7: The Right Data Framework (Source: Roger W. Hoerl and Thomas C. Redman)
PEOPLE ANALYTICS
STEVE HATFIELD, SUE CANTRELL, AND BRAD KREIT - Beyond the quick fix: How workforce data can drive deeper organizational problem-solving
The premise of this thoughtful article by Steve Hatfield, Susan Cantrell, and Brad Kreit is that without the right context, even simple measurements can undermine efforts to convert people data into value. They then explore several examples – in the workforce, in the workplace, and in the work – where organisations might be limiting their analysis to the surface level and how deeper analysis can reveal systemic issues that lead to opportunities for transformation. Guidance on three actions leaders can take to help ensure they are not missing important context in their data analysis are provided: (1) Bring data from different domains and sources together for analysis. (2) Make sure you’re measuring what you should—not just what you can. (3) Identify potential biases in data collection algorithms.
If organizations want to move beyond quick fixes and use work and workforce data to drive deeper—and often more challenging—problem-solving, it is important that they look at the data in context.
NAOMI VERGHESE - How to Measure the Value of People Analytics
My Insight222 colleague Naomi Verghese digs how to measure the commercial value of people analytics, highlighting a powerful case study from Jaesun HA and LG Electronics. Naomi provides detail on four key areas where people analytics adds value (business performance, workforce experiences, driving an analytics culture and societal benefit) as well as providing data on the characteristics of companies that ARE creating commercial value from people analytics (see FIG 8).
FIG 8: Characteristics of people analytics that disclosed and measured commercial value of people analytics solutions (Source: Insight222 People Analytics Trends, 2023)
ANDRÉS GARCIA AYALA - 5 Change Drivers Impacting People Analytics & How To Thrive In Them | WILLIS JENSEN - Attrition versus Retention: Which Should I Use? | KEITH McNULTY – Regression Modeling in People Analytics: Survival Analysis | LYDIA WU - The Market Sucks and You are Looking for a Job, Now What? | SEBASTIAN SZACHNOWSKI - 16 HR Metrics for IT | ERIN FLEMING AND NICK JESTEADT - People Analytics Perspectives from the Fringe: Current Priorities and a View on Optimized Teams in 2024
January saw a slew of articles from current and recent people analytics leaders, which typically act as a spur and inspiration for the field. Six are highlighted here: (1) Andrés García Ayala highlights some of the key change drivers impacting people analytics and ways to incorporate them into our work. (2) Willis Jensen builds on the recent primer on attrition metrics by Ben Teusch that I highlighted in December’s edition. He explains why we should be using attrition and retention as separate terms that lead to distinct metrics with different objectives (see also FIG 9). (3) Keith McNulty provides another indispensable practical guide for people analysts with a step-by-step tutorial to conducting survival analysis in R. (4) The prolific Lydia Wu turns her attention to providing some handy guidance for those looking for their next people analytics / HR tech role. (5) Sebastian Szachnowski provides a useful breakdown of 16 HR metrics for technology companies. (6) Last but definitely not least, Erin Fleming and Nick Jesteadt provide insights from their survey of fellow people analytics practitioners. Insights include a) 41% of respondents (n=49) operate as a one-person people analytics team, and ii) the main current focus areas of work include employee turnover, cultural engagement, return to office, and restructuring.
FIG 9: When to use Attrition and Retention (Source: Willis Jensen)
MAX BLUMBERG - The Big List of GPTs to Revolutionize Your People Processes | JOHANNES SUNDLO - GenAI for People Analytics
Two articles addressing the opportunity for generative AI in the people space. (1) Max Blumberg (JA) ?? sets out 93 potential ways to upgrade your People Processes with AI and GPTs across four categories – workforce planning and strategy, recruitment, learning and development, and employee wellbeing. (2) Johannes Sundlo provides examples of companies using GAI in their people analytics work to support analyses on engagement data, skills, and tailoring training recommendations.
GPTs are an amazing tool for scenario planning, forecasting future workforce needs, identifying talent gaps, and developing integrated talent strategies.
THE EVOLUTION OF HR AND DATA DRIVEN CULTURE
DAVE ULRICH, NORM SMALLWOOD, AND JOE GROCHOWSKI - Why and How to Move HR to an Outside-In Approach
When asked the question, “What is the biggest challenge in your job today?” HR professionals will typically provide answers such as: “Build a skills-based organisation” or “Help our employees have a better experience”. As Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Joe Grochowski write, these answers would be far more powerful when a “so that” is applied e.g. “Help employees have a better experience so that customer experience improves.” The article demonstrates that greater value is created with an outside-in approach that starts with the needs of external stakeholders (customers, investors, community) and then figuring out the implications inside the company for meeting those needs. Dave, Norm, and Joe also present their Human Capability Framework and a tool that provides an assessment of an organisation’s outside-in performance (see FIG 10).
FIG 10: Human capability from the outside-in - diagnostic questions (Source: Dave Ulrich et al)
WORKFORCE PLANNING, ORG DESIGN, AND SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATIONS
AMY WEBB - Bringing True Strategic Foresight Back to Business
In her article for Harvard Business Review, Amy Webb defines strategic foresight as “a disciplined and systematic approach to identify where to play, how to win in the future, and how to ensure organizational resiliency in the face of unforeseen disruption.” Her article also advocates for the integration of strategic foresight as a core competency in every organisation, regardless of size. Moreover, Amy provides guidance on how to operationalise strategic foresight by unveiling a ten-step process. Read alongside another article authored by Amy for HBR: How to Do Strategic Planning Like a Futurist, which includes Amy’s Futurist’s Framework for Strategic Planning (see FIG 11).
FIG 11: A Futurist’s Framework for Strategic Planning (Source: Amy Webb)
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM AND PwC - Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets
As the introduction to this compelling collaboration between the World Economic Forum and PwC begins: “Skills and talent shortages are critical challenges facing societies and economies today. The absence of relevant skills impedes business growth, hinders economic prosperity, and inhibits individuals from realizing their full potential.” The report identifies five specific opportunities for intervention where the gains from skills-first solutions are most likely for employers and workers alike (see ‘Skills-first Framework’ in FIG 12). Additionally, the report also showcases 13 Skills First “Lighthouses”, including IBM, Siemens, Standard Chartered and Sanofi. It concludes by offering key takeaways regarding six success factors in implementing skills-first approaches including (1) Sponsorship from leadership, (2) Alignment with business needs, and (3) Data and evaluation for iteration. (Authors: Genesis Elhussein, Mark Rayner, Aarushi Singhania, Saadia Zahidi, Peter Brown MBE, Miral Mir, and Bhushan Sethi).
A cultural shift to skills-first approaches needs both sponsorship from executives and governance from human-resources professionals
FIG 12: Skills-first Framework (Source: World Economic Forum
PETER SHEPPARD - Learning from our Skills Journey | BEN AUTY - What are the new skills people will need for the future of work? | TANUJ KAPILASHRAMI - How Standard Chartered is Unlocking the Power of Skills in the Workplace
Many of the organisations we work with at Insight222 have embarked on the road to becoming a skills-based organisation. It is not an easy journey, so it is helpful to learn from other companies who are treading this path. Three of these are Ericsson, Lloyds Banking Group, and Standard Chartered. (1) In his article, Peter Sheppard shares learnings from Ericsson’s skills journey including a) it’s not jobs or skills; it’s skills and jobs, b) it’s a whole organisation activity, c) Less is more with skills, and d) Data drives value. (2) Ben Auty shares insights as to why Lloyds Banking Group is developing a learning culture to build the workforce of the future at the bank, the main skills they are focusing on, and the central role the recently established Reskilling Team is playing. (3) Tanuj Kapilashrami shares how Standard Chartered catalysed their work on skills by identifying adjacencies between ‘sunset’ and ‘sunrise’ roles.
We looked at skills adjacencies between ‘sunset’ jobs and ‘sunrise’ jobs: so, what are the jobs that are going to go away? What are the skills that help employees get reskilled into some of these sunrise jobs? We ran five proofs of concept, we showed some real redeployment opportunities and started making the skills narrative real.
EMPLOYEE LISTENING, EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
JENNIFER E. SIGLER WITH STEPHANIE DENINO - So Many Stakeholders, So Little Time: State of EX 2023-2024
The fifth annual State of EX study authored by Jennifer E. Sigler, PhD on behalf of The EXchange, Inc, TI PEOPLE and FOUNT Global, Inc. is a treasure chest of insights on the fast-evolving practice of employee experience. It highlights the top four priorities for EX as: (1) Redesigning experiences, (2) Getting broader buy-in for EX work across the organisation, (3) Building an EX roadmap for the organisation, and (4) Getting more / better data. One other standout finding from the study suggests that senior leaders are increasingly focused on EX with a majority of respondents (63%) saying their organisation’s senior leaders view EX as equal to or even more important than other corporate priorities. This bodes well for the future of EX. Thanks to Stephanie Denino and Volker Jacobs for highlighting the study.
FIG 13: EX Team Priorities YOY Change (Source: The EXchange, TI People and FOUNT Global, Inc)
LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE
NADJIA YOUSIF, ASHLEY DARTNELL, GRETCHEN MAY, AND ELIZABETH KNARR - Psychological Safety Levels the Playing Field for Employees | PETER CAPPELLI AND LIAT ELDOR - Can Workplaces Have Too Much Psychological Safety?
Two perspectives on psychological safety in the workplace. In the first article, Nadjia Yousif, Ashley Dartnell, Gretchen May, and Elizabeth Knarr present the findings of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) research, which finds how psychological safety benefits inclusion, reduces attrition in diverse groups and effectively acts as an equaliser - enabling diverse and disadvantaged employee groups to achieve the same levels of workplace satisfaction as their more advantaged colleagues. The study also highlights the direct relationship between empathetic leadership and feelings of psychological safety in the workforce, giving leaders a clear directive to be empathetic and thereby engender psychological safety. The second article by Peter Cappelli and Liat Eldor presents research that found that when you move from average to high levels of psychological safety, performance in routine jobs actually declined.
FIG 14: Psychological safety has an outsize impact on retention for diversity groups (Source: BCG)
RASMUS HOUGAARD, JACQUELINE CARTER, AND ROB STEMBRIDGE - The Best Leaders Can’t Be Replaced by AI
While there are some areas where AI is already surpassing or will surpass human capabilities, there are several it cannot replace. Based on their research into employees’ comfort with AI in management, as well as their decades of research on the qualities of effective leadership, Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter, and Robert Stembridge identify the promise (and perils) of AI-enabled management (see FIG 15), as well as the three uniquely human capabilities leaders need to focus on honing, especially as AI begins to figure more in management: (1) awareness, (2) compassion, and (3) wisdom. For more from Rasmus, I recommend listening to his podcast discussion with me: How To Be a More Compassionate Leader.
Leaders who deepen their ability to lead with humanity will win at attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating top talent.
FIG 15: AI versus Human: A matric of leadership activities (Source: Potential Project)
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
JULIE COFFMAN, ALEX NOETHER, BIANCA BAX, CASSY REICHERT, AND KRYSTLE JIANG - The Business of Belonging: Why making everyone feel included is smart strategy
Revealing data from a Bain survey of 6,000+ employees across four countries, which finds employees who have seen their companies intentionally invest in inclusion since 2020 are three times more likely to feel fully included than employees who have not seen such investment from their employers. Other findings include (1) Combining diversity and inclusion maximises a company’s capacity (by 4x) to innovate, and (2) Employees with inclusive leadership are 9x more likely to feel fully included at work (see FIG 16). (Authors: Julie Coffman, Alex Noether, Bianca Bax, Cassy Reichert, and Krystle Jiang).
FIG 16: Employees with inclusive leadership are 9x more likely to feel fully included at work (Source: Bain)
SHUJAAT AHMAD - DEIB Is At A Crossroads—It’s Time for Bold Action and Clear Metrics
Given recent developments it’s reasonable to say that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is at an existential crossroads. As Shujaat Ahmad writes in his excellent article for Round: “Boards, leadership teams, and investors hold the power to set the tone, shape the policies, and allocate the resources to support DEIB initiatives: for DEIB to work effectively, they must shift from well-intentioned wordsmiths to committed drivers that hold the organization accountable for outcomes and positive change.” Shujaat then unveils his blueprint to help leaders assess progress and drive meaningful change, clarifying the ‘why’ before diving into the ‘how’ covering measuring what matters and interventions (see FIG 17). For more from Shujaat, I recommend visiting Belong and Lead.
FIG 17: Source – Shujaat Ahmad
HR TECH VOICES
Much of the innovation in the field continues to be driven by the vendor community, and I’ve picked out a few resources from January that I recommend readers delve into:
ERNEST NG - If the Pitch is Too Smooth, It Probably Is: Why AI in HR is Difficult – Part 2 of an insightful essay from Ernest Ng, PhD of HiredScore (see also Part 1 on disclosures here) where he cuts through the hype to assess how we should be implementing AI in HR.
LOUJAINA ABDELWAHED - A Tale of Two Cultures - In One Company - Loujaina Abdelwahed, PhD from Revelio Labs highlights the growing disparity between junior and senior employees (see FIG 18) and identifies the factors causing this malaise. Thanks to Ben Zweig for highlighting.
FIG 18: The growing disparity in sentiment between junior and senior employees (Source: Revelio Labs)
JEREMIE BRECHEISEN - Where Employees Think Companies’ DEIB Efforts Are Failing – Jeremie K Brecheisen presents findings from Gallup that reveals a disconnect between how well employees and HR leaders believe their organisations are doing when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging: 84% of CHROs say their organisations are increasing investment in DEIB, while only 31% of employees say their organisation is committed to improving racial justice or equity in their workplace (see FIG 19). The article then outlines ten needs employees say are not being met and then offers strategies to help organisations address the disconnect.
FIG 19: How employees and HR leaders differ on perceptions of DEIB progress (Source: Gallup)
FRANCISCO MARIN - Navigating the ONA Landscape: Trends and Challenges for 2024 - Another good read from Cognitive Talent Solutions, as Francisco Marin explores the key trends and challenges shaping the ONA space in 2024.
IAN WHITE - The three C’s of effective performance management – Ian White, CEO at ChartHop, presents the three C’s of performance management — continuous, contextual and cultural — designed to help companies understand their employees more holistically.
CHRISTINA JANZER - The surprising connection between after-hours work and decreased productivity – Christina Janzer presents findings from Slack’s Workforce Index, which identifies findings on how to structure the workday to maximise employee productivity, well-being and satisfaction – including the connection between after hours work and decreased productivity.
FIG 20: Source – Slack
PODCASTS OF THE MONTH
In another month of high-quality podcasts, I’ve selected five gems for your aural pleasure: (you can also check out the latest episodes of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast – see ‘From My Desk’ below):
AMY EDMONDSON AND LAURIE RUETTIMANN – Right Kind of Failure – Amy Edmondson joins Laurie Ruettimann on the brilliantly named Punk Rock HR to explore the essential role of failure in our professional and personal growth.
STACIA GARR, COLE NAPPER, AND SCOTT HINES - People Analytics & HR Tech Research by Industry Analysts – Stacia Sherman Garr, one of the industry’s top analysts, joins Cole Napper and Scott Hines, PhD on the Directionally Correct podcast to discuss the research Stacia and her team at RedThread Research do in the people analytics and HR technology space.
RICHARD ROSENOW, MADDIE GRANT, AND SANJA LICINA - How to Build an Integrated Framework for Workforce Listening – In an episode of the Empowering Workplaces podcast, Richard Rosenow joins hosts Maddie Grant and Sanja Licina, Ph.D. to talk about The Three Channels of Workforce Information: conversations (“what people say”), surveys (“what people say they do”) and systems (“what people do”) as a way to build a comprehensive understanding of your workforce.
McKINSEY - The shape of talent in 2023 and 2024 - In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Bryan Hancock, Brooke Weddle and host Lucia Rahilly highlight the trends that shaped last year’s talent landscape—and those poised to ‘redefine its contours’ yet again in 2024.
MATTHEW BIDWELL AND DAN LONEY – Forecasting 2024 Workplace Trends – Wharton Professor and convenor of the Wharton People Analytics Conference, Matthew Bidwell, joins host of the Wharton Business Daily Dan Loney to look at the year ahead in the workplace.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
CHRIS LOUIE, TOMAS CHAMORRO-PREMUZIC, TERRI HORTON, AND LINDSEY SHINTANI - Power a dynamic workforce by embracing AI
An enlightening panel discussion from the recent LinkedIn Talent Connect where Chris Louie, Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Terri Horton, EdD, MBA, MA, SHRM-CP, PHR, and Lindsey Shintani discuss how AI is changing learning and career paths. They provide guidance on how to overcome AI anxiety and empower impactful futures.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
KEVIN WHEELER AND BAS VAN DE HATERD – Talent Acquisition Excellence
An excellent new book published by Kogan Page and authored by Kevin Wheeler and Bas van de Haterd (He/His/Him). It provides an insightful and detailed analysis of how technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning in combination with analytics can improve talent acquisition and recruitment.
RESEARCH REPORT OF THE MONTH
YUYE DING AND MARK (SHUAI) MA - Return-to-Office Mandates
A huge thank you to Nick Bloom for bringing my attention to this paper from Yuye Ding and Mark Ma, which studied the impact of 137 Return to Office mandates on the performance of S&P500 firms from 2020-2023. The key findings, as summarised by Nick, are illuminating: (1) RTO mandates are more likely in firms with poor recent stock performance, and in those with powerful male CEOs. (2) Glassdoor data finds RTO mandates significantly reduce employee ratings for job satisfaction, work-life balance, and senior management. (3) There is no significant impact of RTO mandates on either firm profitability or firm stock-returns.
FIG 21: Distribution of firms’ RTO mandates (Source: Yuye Ding and Mark Ma)
FROM MY DESK
January saw the first three episodes of Series 36 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, sponsored by our friends at ScreenCloud. Thank you to Luke Farrugia.
DAVID GREEN - The best 60 HR & People Analytics articles of 2023 Part 1 | Part 2 – My tenth annual collection of HR and people analytics resources is spread across two articles and ten themes. Part 1 covers i) the future of work and people strategy, ii) workplace design and strategy, iii) AI and the world of work, iv) people analytics, and v) employee experience, listening and wellbeing. Part 2 covers: vi) the evolution of HR, HR operating models and the CHRO, vii) building a data driven culture in HR, viii) workforce planning, skills, and talent marketplace, ix) leadership and culture, and x) diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
THOMAS RASMUSSEN, DAWN KLINGHOFFER, AND JEREMY SHAPIRO - HR in 2024: The Impact of People Analytics, AI & ML – In a special episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast to kick off 2024, I was joined by Thomas Rasmussen, Dawn Klinghoffer, and Jeremy Shapiro to discuss the outlook for HR and people analytics in the coming 12 months.
SERENA HUANG - How to Enhance Your Career in People Analytics - Serena H. Huang, Ph.D., who has led people analytics functions at companies including GE, PayPal and Kraft Heinz, joins me to discuss the common career paths observed in the people analytics field and how they have evolved over the years.
KAZ HASSAN AND LUKE FARUGGIA - How to Bridge the Gap Between Customer and Employee Experience - What can HR learn from marketing's journey in using data, analytics and technology to understand and personalise the customer experience? How can we leverage these insights in HR to boost our employee experience initiatives? Kaz Hassan and Luke Faruggia join me to discuss these topics and more.
THANK YOU
Finally, this month I’d like to thank:
Recruit CRM for nominating me as ‘The People Analytics Pioneer’ in their list of 50 Recruitment Influencers to Follow in 2024
Likewise, a huge thank you to 365Talents for including me as one of the Top 50 HR Influencers to Follow in 2024
Similarly, thanks to HRCap, Inc. for including me in their list of 10 HR Influencers who Provide Remarkable Insights
The Social Craft (here) and The Talent Games (here) for also including me in their lists of HR and HR Tech leaders to follow.
HRDConnect for quoting me in their article Data Literacy: A must-have for HR professionals in 2024.
Gianni Giacomelli for including the Data Driven HR monthly in his list of seven must-read newsletters.
HR Geckos for including Excellence in People Analytics as a book recommendation in their HR Bytes Newsletter for January 2024.
Sebastian Szachnowski for including Excellence in People Analytics in his list of books to get better at people analytics.
Leapsome for including the Digital HR Leaders podcast as one of its Top 10 HR Podcasts for 2024.
Similarly, Alexandre Darbois for also including the Digital HR Leaders podcast as one of his 5 HR Podcasts.
Melissa Meredith for using my 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 article to highlight the importance of the HR-Finance partnership in building a thriving company.
Bill Brown for also highlighting my 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 article in his Eleven Trends Transforming the Future of Work in 2024.
Mirro.io for including me as a contributor in their list of 15 HR Trends for 2024.
Dhanesh K for including as one of his 10 Top HR Leaders to Follow.
Lanteria HR for recommending me as one of their HR Experts to Follow in 2024.
Semos Cloud for including my 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 as part of their round-up of HR insights.
Thomas Kohler for including my Best HR and People Analytics Articles of 2023 in their collection of HR resources to read.
Thinkers360 for including me in their Top Voices EMEA 2023.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 90 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
SEE ME AT THESE EVENTS
I'll be speaking about people analytics, the future of work, and data driven HR at a number of upcoming events in 2024:
Feb 21 - Discover how Leading Companies shift People Analytics from insight to impact (Webinar)
Feb 28 - People Analytics World 2024: Exploring the Potential of Analytics and AI in Employee Experience (Zurich)
March 4-6 - Gloat Live! (New York)
March 14-15 - Wharton People Analytics Conference (Philadelphia)
April 24-25 - People Analytics World (London)
May 7-9 - UNLEASH America (Las Vegas)
September 24-26 - Insight222 Global Executive Retreat (Colorado, US) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
October 16-17 - UNLEASH World (Paris)
More events will be added as they are confirmed.
workforce planning
2024年03月02日
workforce planning
The best HR & People Analytics articles of January 2024
2024 is set to be a momentous year. With economic uncertainty, rising geopolitical conflict, and rapid advances in technology, it is also set to be a stormy 12 months for the world, for organisations, and for HR professionals too.
Perhaps this explains the slew of insightful resources in January, which has made compiling this month’s collection as challenging as it has been enjoyable. One of the key focuses has been on ‘productivity’, and I’ve brought together a number of resources on this topic. There are also new studies from the likes of PwC, McKinsey, Glassdoor, Accenture, and Deloitte as well as articles featuring practitioners from companies including Spotify, Microsoft, Ericsson, Lloyds Banking Group, and Standard Chartered. There’s lots to enjoy and learn from.
Join me for a webinar on February 21 to discover how Leading Companies shift People Analytics from insight to impact
Are you an HR or People Analytics Leader seeking to transform your organisation’s People Analytics from mere insights to impactful business outcomes? If so, I invite you to join me for a webinar that Insight222 is hosting on February 21. Naomi Verghese and I will walk through the findings from the Insight222 People Analytics Trends research, unveiling the distinctive characteristics of ABCD Teams that propel organisations to new heights. Naomi and I will be joined by Alan Susi, VP and Global Head of Organisational Analytics and People Insights at S&P Global. Alan will share insights into how S&P Global successfully elevated their approach to people analytics, turning data into tangible business outcomes. You can register for the webinar here – or by clicking the image below.
Jürgen Klopp – a study in leadership, culture, and analytics
As a fervent supporter, I’m still processing the totally unexpected news that Jürgen Klopp will be leaving his post as the manager of Liverpool at the end of the current football season. In his press conference on taking the reins at Anfield in October 2015, Klopp stated his goal was to turn Liverpool from “doubters to believers.” He has done this with some aplomb amassing a haul of seven trophies (to date) including the Champions League in 2019 and then, the following year, the Holy Grail of Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years.
But Klopp is more than a brilliant football manager. He is the epitome of an empathetic leader. His emotional intelligence and natural humility not only endears Klopp to his players, but to supporters too for whom he is adored. The reaction to the news reduced many Liverpool supporters to tears. I’m still hoping – probably forlornly - that like Alex Ferguson in 2002, Klopp will change his mind and stay.
In the likely event that he does depart, I’m sure that multiple studies will be made on Klopp’s time at Anfield, and that his leadership skills, use of data and analytics, and ability to build an inclusive winning culture will be deservedly celebrated. YNWA.
Looking for a new role in people analytics or HR tech?
Before we get to this month’s collection of resources, I’d like to highlight once again the wonderful resource created by Richard Rosenow and the One Model team of open roles in people analytics and HR technology, which now numbers over 500 roles.
Looking for a people analytics event to attend in 2024?
Richard Rosenow has also been busy compiling a study of People Analytics Conferences to attend in 2024 with the data collected from practitioners themselves. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), People Analytics World and the Wharton People Analytics Conference all come out well as does the Insight222 Global Executive Retreat. Thanks to Richard for putting this together.
Share the love!
Enjoy reading the collection of resources for January and, if you do, please share some data driven HR love with your colleagues and networks. Thanks to the many of you who liked, shared and/or commented on December’s compendium (including those in the Comments below).
If you enjoy a weekly dose of curated learning (and the Digital HR Leaders podcast), the Insight222 newsletter: Digital HR Leaders newsletter is published every Tuesday – subscribe here.
THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY
MCKINSEY - 2024 and beyond: Will it be economic stagnation or the advent of productivity-driven abundance? | PwC - 27th Annual Global CEO Survey: Thriving in an age of continuous reinvention | JOSH BERSIN - HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity | ERIK BRYNJOLFSSON - How AI Will Transform Productivity | BEN WABER AND NATHANAEL J. FAST - Is GenAI’s Impact on Productivity Overblown?
When I talk with CHROs and People Analytics Leaders at the companies we work with at Insight222, one of the words I’m hearing most at the moment is ‘productivity’. Continuing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the promise of AI, and challenging talent demographics are all fuelling the demand for productivity from CEOs. Here are five resources that can be filed under the ‘productivity’ umbrella: (1) McKinsey’s Ezra Greenberg, Asutosh Padhi, and Sven Smit present a model for businesses to capture the three-sided productivity opportunity (see FIG 1). (2) Amongst a ton of takeaways, the standout theme from the annual PwC CEO survey is that the vast majority of participating companies are already taking some steps towards reinvention, while CEOs believe that 40% of their work is wasted productivity (see FIG 2). (3) Josh Bersin draws from the PwC survey in his 2024 predictions, where he outlines The Productivity Advantage where “If you can help your company move faster (productivity implies speed, not only profit), you can reinvent faster than your competition.” (4) Stanford professor Erik Brynjolfsson offers leaders an overview of how AI will transform productivity. (5) Finally, Ben Waber and Nathanael Fast’s absorbing essay in Harvard Business Review cautions leaders on leaning into the hype on GAI’s supposed positive impact on productivity too heavily. The authors break down two of the key challenges with LLMs: a) their persistent ability to produce convincing falsities and b) the likely long-term negative effects of using LLMs on employees and internal processes.
FIG 1: The three-side productivity opportunity (Source: McKinsey)
FIG 2: CEOs estimate administrative inefficiency at 40% (Source: PwC)
GERGELY OROSZ AND ABI NODA - Measuring Developer Productivity: Real-World Examples
Continuing the productivity theme, this is an invaluable resource by Gergely Orosz and Abi Noda in The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter. It provides detail on developer productivity metrics at 17 tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Spotify, and Uber (see summary in FIG 3).
FIG 3: Developer productivity metrics at 17 tech companies (Source: Pragmatic Engineer)
2024 HR TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
JASMINE PANAYIDES - Nine Ways to Put HR Trends and Predictions into Practice in 2024
There has been a flood of articles advising what the key HR trends, predictions, and opportunities for 2024 are, but how are HR professionals supposed to make sense of these? In her article for the myHRfuture blog, Jasmine Panayides provides actionable tips on how HR professionals can apply the trends, predictions and opportunities to their work, and their organisations so they can deliver value to the company and the workforce. Jasmine also helpfully summarises the trends/predictions from a variety of sources into one table (see FIG 4), including from: Visier Inc., Gartner, Bernard Marr, UNLEASH, Mercer, and Culture Amp as well as my own 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 article.
FIG 4: Analysis of HR Trends and Predictions for 2024 (Source: myHRfuture)
KATARINA BERG - HR Trends for 2024 | GARTNER - 9 Future of Work Trends for 2024 | GLASSDOOR – 2024 Workforce Trends | HUNG LEE - Forecasting 2024 in Recruitment Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 | KEVIN WHEELER - What Does 2024 Hold in Store for Us? | STACIA GARR AND DANI JOHNSON – 2024 Mega Trends and how people leaders should respond (Webinar)
The deluge of commentators offering their HR trends and opportunities continued in January. As such, it is a challenge to sort the wheat from the chaff but in addition to those I highlighted in this compendium in December, and in Jasmine’s article above, I recommend diving into the following: (1) Spotify’s chief people officer, Katarina Berg, highlights ten trends with the common theme being each trend is a bridge, connecting the past with the future, and HR professionals are the architects crafting these vital links – including “Staying Human in the Age of AI – The Humanity Bridge”. (2) Gartner’s Jordan Turner and Emily Rose McRae highlight nine future of work trends for the year ahead (see FIG 5). (3) Aaron Terrazas and Daniel Zhao identify eight workforce trends based on Glassdoor’s data on workplace satisfaction, culture, and conversations. (4) Hung Lee is at the cutting edge of recruiting and HR tech, so his four-part series on recruiting in 2024 is definitely worth checking out – two examples include: “Multi-generational replaces neurodiversity as DEIB hot topic” and “Capital Allocation Shifts from Sourcing & Engagement to Assessment & Verification Tech”. (5) Futurist Kevin Wheeler offers seven insights and predictions together with his self-assessed certainty rating including “Generative AI will dominate, and every product will attempt to incorporate AI. 90% certainty” and “More firms will embrace a four-day workweek 50% certainty”. (6) Finally, I strongly recommend viewing the 2024 Mega Trends webinar hosted by Stacia Sherman Garr and Dani Johnson for RedThread Research, which breaks down the key macro factors impacting the world of work and how HR can respond.
FIG 5: 9 Future of Work Trends for 2024 (Source: Gartner)
GREG NEWMAN - 10 important topics that HR will likely ignore in 2024
Greg Newman takes an alternative, wry and contrarian approach by focusing his list of “predictions” on ten things most HR teams will continue to ignore in 2024. My favourite three are: (1) speaking the language of the business, (2) focusing AI conversations on ethics before technology, and (3) learning that good data is required to realise the dreams of AI and analytics.
By aligning HR language with business terminology, we can more effectively demonstrate the value of our initiatives in a way that resonates with business stakeholders.
GENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
ELLYN SHOOK AND PAUL DAUGHERTY - Work, workforce, workers: Reinvented in the age of generative AI
A new study from Accenture, co-authored by Ellyn Shook and Paul Daugherty, on how generative AI is impacting work, provides guidance on how leaders can: “Set and guide a vision to reinvent work, reshape the workforce and prepare workers for a generative AI world, while building a resilient culture to navigate continuous waves of change.” The report reveals a trust gap between workers and leaders on key elements related to GAI’s impact on work, the workforce, and workers. The authors also highlight four accelerators for leaders to navigate the journey ahead: (1) Lead and learn in new ways, (2) Reinvent work, (3) Reshape the workforce (see example in FIG 6), and (4) Prepare workers.
FIG 6: Illustrative example of how work and roles can be reallocated in a GAI future (Source: Accenture)
ROGER W. HOERL AND THOMAS C. REDMAN - What Managers Should Ask About AI Models and Data Sets
The decision on whether to deploy AI models within an organisation ultimately lies with business leaders who may not be qualified to identify risks and weaknesses related to AI models and data sets. In their article, Roger Hoerl and Tom Redman provide (1) A framework (see FIG 7) designed to equip leaders with context and based on their concept of the right data. (2) A set of six questions for leaders to ask their AI model developers before and during modelling work and deployment. (3) Guidance for leaders on how to assess AI model developers’ answers to those six questions.
FIG 7: The Right Data Framework (Source: Roger W. Hoerl and Thomas C. Redman)
PEOPLE ANALYTICS
STEVE HATFIELD, SUE CANTRELL, AND BRAD KREIT - Beyond the quick fix: How workforce data can drive deeper organizational problem-solving
The premise of this thoughtful article by Steve Hatfield, Susan Cantrell, and Brad Kreit is that without the right context, even simple measurements can undermine efforts to convert people data into value. They then explore several examples – in the workforce, in the workplace, and in the work – where organisations might be limiting their analysis to the surface level and how deeper analysis can reveal systemic issues that lead to opportunities for transformation. Guidance on three actions leaders can take to help ensure they are not missing important context in their data analysis are provided: (1) Bring data from different domains and sources together for analysis. (2) Make sure you’re measuring what you should—not just what you can. (3) Identify potential biases in data collection algorithms.
If organizations want to move beyond quick fixes and use work and workforce data to drive deeper—and often more challenging—problem-solving, it is important that they look at the data in context.
NAOMI VERGHESE - How to Measure the Value of People Analytics
My Insight222 colleague Naomi Verghese digs how to measure the commercial value of people analytics, highlighting a powerful case study from Jaesun HA and LG Electronics. Naomi provides detail on four key areas where people analytics adds value (business performance, workforce experiences, driving an analytics culture and societal benefit) as well as providing data on the characteristics of companies that ARE creating commercial value from people analytics (see FIG 8).
FIG 8: Characteristics of people analytics that disclosed and measured commercial value of people analytics solutions (Source: Insight222 People Analytics Trends, 2023)
ANDRÉS GARCIA AYALA - 5 Change Drivers Impacting People Analytics & How To Thrive In Them | WILLIS JENSEN - Attrition versus Retention: Which Should I Use? | KEITH McNULTY – Regression Modeling in People Analytics: Survival Analysis | LYDIA WU - The Market Sucks and You are Looking for a Job, Now What? | SEBASTIAN SZACHNOWSKI - 16 HR Metrics for IT | ERIN FLEMING AND NICK JESTEADT - People Analytics Perspectives from the Fringe: Current Priorities and a View on Optimized Teams in 2024
January saw a slew of articles from current and recent people analytics leaders, which typically act as a spur and inspiration for the field. Six are highlighted here: (1) Andrés García Ayala highlights some of the key change drivers impacting people analytics and ways to incorporate them into our work. (2) Willis Jensen builds on the recent primer on attrition metrics by Ben Teusch that I highlighted in December’s edition. He explains why we should be using attrition and retention as separate terms that lead to distinct metrics with different objectives (see also FIG 9). (3) Keith McNulty provides another indispensable practical guide for people analysts with a step-by-step tutorial to conducting survival analysis in R. (4) The prolific Lydia Wu turns her attention to providing some handy guidance for those looking for their next people analytics / HR tech role. (5) Sebastian Szachnowski provides a useful breakdown of 16 HR metrics for technology companies. (6) Last but definitely not least, Erin Fleming and Nick Jesteadt provide insights from their survey of fellow people analytics practitioners. Insights include a) 41% of respondents (n=49) operate as a one-person people analytics team, and ii) the main current focus areas of work include employee turnover, cultural engagement, return to office, and restructuring.
FIG 9: When to use Attrition and Retention (Source: Willis Jensen)
MAX BLUMBERG - The Big List of GPTs to Revolutionize Your People Processes | JOHANNES SUNDLO - GenAI for People Analytics
Two articles addressing the opportunity for generative AI in the people space. (1) Max Blumberg (JA) ?? sets out 93 potential ways to upgrade your People Processes with AI and GPTs across four categories – workforce planning and strategy, recruitment, learning and development, and employee wellbeing. (2) Johannes Sundlo provides examples of companies using GAI in their people analytics work to support analyses on engagement data, skills, and tailoring training recommendations.
GPTs are an amazing tool for scenario planning, forecasting future workforce needs, identifying talent gaps, and developing integrated talent strategies.
THE EVOLUTION OF HR AND DATA DRIVEN CULTURE
DAVE ULRICH, NORM SMALLWOOD, AND JOE GROCHOWSKI - Why and How to Move HR to an Outside-In Approach
When asked the question, “What is the biggest challenge in your job today?” HR professionals will typically provide answers such as: “Build a skills-based organisation” or “Help our employees have a better experience”. As Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Joe Grochowski write, these answers would be far more powerful when a “so that” is applied e.g. “Help employees have a better experience so that customer experience improves.” The article demonstrates that greater value is created with an outside-in approach that starts with the needs of external stakeholders (customers, investors, community) and then figuring out the implications inside the company for meeting those needs. Dave, Norm, and Joe also present their Human Capability Framework and a tool that provides an assessment of an organisation’s outside-in performance (see FIG 10).
FIG 10: Human capability from the outside-in - diagnostic questions (Source: Dave Ulrich et al)
WORKFORCE PLANNING, ORG DESIGN, AND SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATIONS
AMY WEBB - Bringing True Strategic Foresight Back to Business
In her article for Harvard Business Review, Amy Webb defines strategic foresight as “a disciplined and systematic approach to identify where to play, how to win in the future, and how to ensure organizational resiliency in the face of unforeseen disruption.” Her article also advocates for the integration of strategic foresight as a core competency in every organisation, regardless of size. Moreover, Amy provides guidance on how to operationalise strategic foresight by unveiling a ten-step process. Read alongside another article authored by Amy for HBR: How to Do Strategic Planning Like a Futurist, which includes Amy’s Futurist’s Framework for Strategic Planning (see FIG 11).
FIG 11: A Futurist’s Framework for Strategic Planning (Source: Amy Webb)
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM AND PwC - Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets
As the introduction to this compelling collaboration between the World Economic Forum and PwC begins: “Skills and talent shortages are critical challenges facing societies and economies today. The absence of relevant skills impedes business growth, hinders economic prosperity, and inhibits individuals from realizing their full potential.” The report identifies five specific opportunities for intervention where the gains from skills-first solutions are most likely for employers and workers alike (see ‘Skills-first Framework’ in FIG 12). Additionally, the report also showcases 13 Skills First “Lighthouses”, including IBM, Siemens, Standard Chartered and Sanofi. It concludes by offering key takeaways regarding six success factors in implementing skills-first approaches including (1) Sponsorship from leadership, (2) Alignment with business needs, and (3) Data and evaluation for iteration. (Authors: Genesis Elhussein, Mark Rayner, Aarushi Singhania, Saadia Zahidi, Peter Brown MBE, Miral Mir, and Bhushan Sethi).
A cultural shift to skills-first approaches needs both sponsorship from executives and governance from human-resources professionals
FIG 12: Skills-first Framework (Source: World Economic Forum
PETER SHEPPARD - Learning from our Skills Journey | BEN AUTY - What are the new skills people will need for the future of work? | TANUJ KAPILASHRAMI - How Standard Chartered is Unlocking the Power of Skills in the Workplace
Many of the organisations we work with at Insight222 have embarked on the road to becoming a skills-based organisation. It is not an easy journey, so it is helpful to learn from other companies who are treading this path. Three of these are Ericsson, Lloyds Banking Group, and Standard Chartered. (1) In his article, Peter Sheppard shares learnings from Ericsson’s skills journey including a) it’s not jobs or skills; it’s skills and jobs, b) it’s a whole organisation activity, c) Less is more with skills, and d) Data drives value. (2) Ben Auty shares insights as to why Lloyds Banking Group is developing a learning culture to build the workforce of the future at the bank, the main skills they are focusing on, and the central role the recently established Reskilling Team is playing. (3) Tanuj Kapilashrami shares how Standard Chartered catalysed their work on skills by identifying adjacencies between ‘sunset’ and ‘sunrise’ roles.
We looked at skills adjacencies between ‘sunset’ jobs and ‘sunrise’ jobs: so, what are the jobs that are going to go away? What are the skills that help employees get reskilled into some of these sunrise jobs? We ran five proofs of concept, we showed some real redeployment opportunities and started making the skills narrative real.
EMPLOYEE LISTENING, EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
JENNIFER E. SIGLER WITH STEPHANIE DENINO - So Many Stakeholders, So Little Time: State of EX 2023-2024
The fifth annual State of EX study authored by Jennifer E. Sigler, PhD on behalf of The EXchange, Inc, TI PEOPLE and FOUNT Global, Inc. is a treasure chest of insights on the fast-evolving practice of employee experience. It highlights the top four priorities for EX as: (1) Redesigning experiences, (2) Getting broader buy-in for EX work across the organisation, (3) Building an EX roadmap for the organisation, and (4) Getting more / better data. One other standout finding from the study suggests that senior leaders are increasingly focused on EX with a majority of respondents (63%) saying their organisation’s senior leaders view EX as equal to or even more important than other corporate priorities. This bodes well for the future of EX. Thanks to Stephanie Denino and Volker Jacobs for highlighting the study.
FIG 13: EX Team Priorities YOY Change (Source: The EXchange, TI People and FOUNT Global, Inc)
LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE
NADJIA YOUSIF, ASHLEY DARTNELL, GRETCHEN MAY, AND ELIZABETH KNARR - Psychological Safety Levels the Playing Field for Employees | PETER CAPPELLI AND LIAT ELDOR - Can Workplaces Have Too Much Psychological Safety?
Two perspectives on psychological safety in the workplace. In the first article, Nadjia Yousif, Ashley Dartnell, Gretchen May, and Elizabeth Knarr present the findings of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) research, which finds how psychological safety benefits inclusion, reduces attrition in diverse groups and effectively acts as an equaliser - enabling diverse and disadvantaged employee groups to achieve the same levels of workplace satisfaction as their more advantaged colleagues. The study also highlights the direct relationship between empathetic leadership and feelings of psychological safety in the workforce, giving leaders a clear directive to be empathetic and thereby engender psychological safety. The second article by Peter Cappelli and Liat Eldor presents research that found that when you move from average to high levels of psychological safety, performance in routine jobs actually declined.
FIG 14: Psychological safety has an outsize impact on retention for diversity groups (Source: BCG)
RASMUS HOUGAARD, JACQUELINE CARTER, AND ROB STEMBRIDGE - The Best Leaders Can’t Be Replaced by AI
While there are some areas where AI is already surpassing or will surpass human capabilities, there are several it cannot replace. Based on their research into employees’ comfort with AI in management, as well as their decades of research on the qualities of effective leadership, Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter, and Robert Stembridge identify the promise (and perils) of AI-enabled management (see FIG 15), as well as the three uniquely human capabilities leaders need to focus on honing, especially as AI begins to figure more in management: (1) awareness, (2) compassion, and (3) wisdom. For more from Rasmus, I recommend listening to his podcast discussion with me: How To Be a More Compassionate Leader.
Leaders who deepen their ability to lead with humanity will win at attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating top talent.
FIG 15: AI versus Human: A matric of leadership activities (Source: Potential Project)
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
JULIE COFFMAN, ALEX NOETHER, BIANCA BAX, CASSY REICHERT, AND KRYSTLE JIANG - The Business of Belonging: Why making everyone feel included is smart strategy
Revealing data from a Bain survey of 6,000+ employees across four countries, which finds employees who have seen their companies intentionally invest in inclusion since 2020 are three times more likely to feel fully included than employees who have not seen such investment from their employers. Other findings include (1) Combining diversity and inclusion maximises a company’s capacity (by 4x) to innovate, and (2) Employees with inclusive leadership are 9x more likely to feel fully included at work (see FIG 16). (Authors: Julie Coffman, Alex Noether, Bianca Bax, Cassy Reichert, and Krystle Jiang).
FIG 16: Employees with inclusive leadership are 9x more likely to feel fully included at work (Source: Bain)
SHUJAAT AHMAD - DEIB Is At A Crossroads—It’s Time for Bold Action and Clear Metrics
Given recent developments it’s reasonable to say that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is at an existential crossroads. As Shujaat Ahmad writes in his excellent article for Round: “Boards, leadership teams, and investors hold the power to set the tone, shape the policies, and allocate the resources to support DEIB initiatives: for DEIB to work effectively, they must shift from well-intentioned wordsmiths to committed drivers that hold the organization accountable for outcomes and positive change.” Shujaat then unveils his blueprint to help leaders assess progress and drive meaningful change, clarifying the ‘why’ before diving into the ‘how’ covering measuring what matters and interventions (see FIG 17). For more from Shujaat, I recommend visiting Belong and Lead.
FIG 17: Source – Shujaat Ahmad
HR TECH VOICES
Much of the innovation in the field continues to be driven by the vendor community, and I’ve picked out a few resources from January that I recommend readers delve into:
ERNEST NG - If the Pitch is Too Smooth, It Probably Is: Why AI in HR is Difficult – Part 2 of an insightful essay from Ernest Ng, PhD of HiredScore (see also Part 1 on disclosures here) where he cuts through the hype to assess how we should be implementing AI in HR.
LOUJAINA ABDELWAHED - A Tale of Two Cultures - In One Company - Loujaina Abdelwahed, PhD from Revelio Labs highlights the growing disparity between junior and senior employees (see FIG 18) and identifies the factors causing this malaise. Thanks to Ben Zweig for highlighting.
FIG 18: The growing disparity in sentiment between junior and senior employees (Source: Revelio Labs)
JEREMIE BRECHEISEN - Where Employees Think Companies’ DEIB Efforts Are Failing – Jeremie K Brecheisen presents findings from Gallup that reveals a disconnect between how well employees and HR leaders believe their organisations are doing when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging: 84% of CHROs say their organisations are increasing investment in DEIB, while only 31% of employees say their organisation is committed to improving racial justice or equity in their workplace (see FIG 19). The article then outlines ten needs employees say are not being met and then offers strategies to help organisations address the disconnect.
FIG 19: How employees and HR leaders differ on perceptions of DEIB progress (Source: Gallup)
FRANCISCO MARIN - Navigating the ONA Landscape: Trends and Challenges for 2024 - Another good read from Cognitive Talent Solutions, as Francisco Marin explores the key trends and challenges shaping the ONA space in 2024.
IAN WHITE - The three C’s of effective performance management – Ian White, CEO at ChartHop, presents the three C’s of performance management — continuous, contextual and cultural — designed to help companies understand their employees more holistically.
CHRISTINA JANZER - The surprising connection between after-hours work and decreased productivity – Christina Janzer presents findings from Slack’s Workforce Index, which identifies findings on how to structure the workday to maximise employee productivity, well-being and satisfaction – including the connection between after hours work and decreased productivity.
FIG 20: Source – Slack
PODCASTS OF THE MONTH
In another month of high-quality podcasts, I’ve selected five gems for your aural pleasure: (you can also check out the latest episodes of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast – see ‘From My Desk’ below):
AMY EDMONDSON AND LAURIE RUETTIMANN – Right Kind of Failure – Amy Edmondson joins Laurie Ruettimann on the brilliantly named Punk Rock HR to explore the essential role of failure in our professional and personal growth.
STACIA GARR, COLE NAPPER, AND SCOTT HINES - People Analytics & HR Tech Research by Industry Analysts – Stacia Sherman Garr, one of the industry’s top analysts, joins Cole Napper and Scott Hines, PhD on the Directionally Correct podcast to discuss the research Stacia and her team at RedThread Research do in the people analytics and HR technology space.
RICHARD ROSENOW, MADDIE GRANT, AND SANJA LICINA - How to Build an Integrated Framework for Workforce Listening – In an episode of the Empowering Workplaces podcast, Richard Rosenow joins hosts Maddie Grant and Sanja Licina, Ph.D. to talk about The Three Channels of Workforce Information: conversations (“what people say”), surveys (“what people say they do”) and systems (“what people do”) as a way to build a comprehensive understanding of your workforce.
McKINSEY - The shape of talent in 2023 and 2024 - In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Bryan Hancock, Brooke Weddle and host Lucia Rahilly highlight the trends that shaped last year’s talent landscape—and those poised to ‘redefine its contours’ yet again in 2024.
MATTHEW BIDWELL AND DAN LONEY – Forecasting 2024 Workplace Trends – Wharton Professor and convenor of the Wharton People Analytics Conference, Matthew Bidwell, joins host of the Wharton Business Daily Dan Loney to look at the year ahead in the workplace.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
CHRIS LOUIE, TOMAS CHAMORRO-PREMUZIC, TERRI HORTON, AND LINDSEY SHINTANI - Power a dynamic workforce by embracing AI
An enlightening panel discussion from the recent LinkedIn Talent Connect where Chris Louie, Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Terri Horton, EdD, MBA, MA, SHRM-CP, PHR, and Lindsey Shintani discuss how AI is changing learning and career paths. They provide guidance on how to overcome AI anxiety and empower impactful futures.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
KEVIN WHEELER AND BAS VAN DE HATERD – Talent Acquisition Excellence
An excellent new book published by Kogan Page and authored by Kevin Wheeler and Bas van de Haterd (He/His/Him). It provides an insightful and detailed analysis of how technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning in combination with analytics can improve talent acquisition and recruitment.
RESEARCH REPORT OF THE MONTH
YUYE DING AND MARK (SHUAI) MA - Return-to-Office Mandates
A huge thank you to Nick Bloom for bringing my attention to this paper from Yuye Ding and Mark Ma, which studied the impact of 137 Return to Office mandates on the performance of S&P500 firms from 2020-2023. The key findings, as summarised by Nick, are illuminating: (1) RTO mandates are more likely in firms with poor recent stock performance, and in those with powerful male CEOs. (2) Glassdoor data finds RTO mandates significantly reduce employee ratings for job satisfaction, work-life balance, and senior management. (3) There is no significant impact of RTO mandates on either firm profitability or firm stock-returns.
FIG 21: Distribution of firms’ RTO mandates (Source: Yuye Ding and Mark Ma)
FROM MY DESK
January saw the first three episodes of Series 36 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, sponsored by our friends at ScreenCloud. Thank you to Luke Farrugia.
DAVID GREEN - The best 60 HR & People Analytics articles of 2023 Part 1 | Part 2 – My tenth annual collection of HR and people analytics resources is spread across two articles and ten themes. Part 1 covers i) the future of work and people strategy, ii) workplace design and strategy, iii) AI and the world of work, iv) people analytics, and v) employee experience, listening and wellbeing. Part 2 covers: vi) the evolution of HR, HR operating models and the CHRO, vii) building a data driven culture in HR, viii) workforce planning, skills, and talent marketplace, ix) leadership and culture, and x) diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
THOMAS RASMUSSEN, DAWN KLINGHOFFER, AND JEREMY SHAPIRO - HR in 2024: The Impact of People Analytics, AI & ML – In a special episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast to kick off 2024, I was joined by Thomas Rasmussen, Dawn Klinghoffer, and Jeremy Shapiro to discuss the outlook for HR and people analytics in the coming 12 months.
SERENA HUANG - How to Enhance Your Career in People Analytics - Serena H. Huang, Ph.D., who has led people analytics functions at companies including GE, PayPal and Kraft Heinz, joins me to discuss the common career paths observed in the people analytics field and how they have evolved over the years.
KAZ HASSAN AND LUKE FARUGGIA - How to Bridge the Gap Between Customer and Employee Experience - What can HR learn from marketing's journey in using data, analytics and technology to understand and personalise the customer experience? How can we leverage these insights in HR to boost our employee experience initiatives? Kaz Hassan and Luke Faruggia join me to discuss these topics and more.
THANK YOU
Finally, this month I’d like to thank:
Recruit CRM for nominating me as ‘The People Analytics Pioneer’ in their list of 50 Recruitment Influencers to Follow in 2024
Likewise, a huge thank you to 365Talents for including me as one of the Top 50 HR Influencers to Follow in 2024
Similarly, thanks to HRCap, Inc. for including me in their list of 10 HR Influencers who Provide Remarkable Insights
The Social Craft (here) and The Talent Games (here) for also including me in their lists of HR and HR Tech leaders to follow.
HRDConnect for quoting me in their article Data Literacy: A must-have for HR professionals in 2024.
Gianni Giacomelli for including the Data Driven HR monthly in his list of seven must-read newsletters.
HR Geckos for including Excellence in People Analytics as a book recommendation in their HR Bytes Newsletter for January 2024.
Sebastian Szachnowski for including Excellence in People Analytics in his list of books to get better at people analytics.
Leapsome for including the Digital HR Leaders podcast as one of its Top 10 HR Podcasts for 2024.
Similarly, Alexandre Darbois for also including the Digital HR Leaders podcast as one of his 5 HR Podcasts.
Melissa Meredith for using my 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 article to highlight the importance of the HR-Finance partnership in building a thriving company.
Bill Brown for also highlighting my 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 article in his Eleven Trends Transforming the Future of Work in 2024.
Mirro.io for including me as a contributor in their list of 15 HR Trends for 2024.
Dhanesh K for including as one of his 10 Top HR Leaders to Follow.
Lanteria HR for recommending me as one of their HR Experts to Follow in 2024.
Semos Cloud for including my 12 Opportunities for HR in 2024 as part of their round-up of HR insights.
Thomas Kohler for including my Best HR and People Analytics Articles of 2023 in their collection of HR resources to read.
Thinkers360 for including me in their Top Voices EMEA 2023.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 90 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
SEE ME AT THESE EVENTS
I'll be speaking about people analytics, the future of work, and data driven HR at a number of upcoming events in 2024:
Feb 21 - Discover how Leading Companies shift People Analytics from insight to impact (Webinar)
Feb 28 - People Analytics World 2024: Exploring the Potential of Analytics and AI in Employee Experience (Zurich)
March 4-6 - Gloat Live! (New York)
March 14-15 - Wharton People Analytics Conference (Philadelphia)
April 24-25 - People Analytics World (London)
May 7-9 - UNLEASH America (Las Vegas)
September 24-26 - Insight222 Global Executive Retreat (Colorado, US) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
October 16-17 - UNLEASH World (Paris)
More events will be added as they are confirmed.
workforce planning
2024年02月01日
workforce planning
New Data from Inspira AI Predicts: Nine out of 10 Office Jobs Gone Forever as a Result of AI报告显示2045年将有90%的白领工作因AI的发展而永久消失，同时AI不仅会取代现有的工作，它还将占据大部分新创造的岗位。 根据Inspira AI的最新研究报告揭示了一个惊人的预测：到2045年，将有90%的白领工作因AI的发展而永久消失。这不仅仅是一次技术革命，更是对我们传统工作方式的全面挑战。 报告指出，与蓝领一线工作相比，办公室工作的自动化更为简单和经济高效。因此，白领岗位将会受到更广泛的影响。这种变化速度之快，影响之广，远超过我们之前的想象。它预示着社会结构和社会规范将经历迅速而广泛的变化，全球性的重大转型已经在眼前。 Inspira的CEO Izzy Traub强调，目前公众对于人工智能相关的工作流失的讨论，大多数估计过低。事实上，AI不仅会取代现有的工作，它还将占据大部分新创造的岗位。这是一个不容忽视的事实。 面对这样的挑战，作为职场人，我们需要重新思考和规划我们的职业生涯。技能的适应和升级变得至关重要。我们必须对人工智能的发展保持敏感，并积极探索如何在AI时代保持自身的竞争力。 现在是时候行动了。我们需要对未来的工作环境有一个清晰的认识，并思考如何在这个由AI主导的新时代中找到自己的位置。让我们共同面对挑战，拥抱变化，准备好迎接未来。
LOS ANGELES Inspira AI, a company pioneering new AI cognitive frameworks, has today released a paper that maps out shocking job losses in the white-collar sector.
The paper predicts that nine out of 10 white collar employees will be out of work by 2045, with no new jobs to replace them. In just over two decades, forecasts suggest the world will experience swift and extensive changes in social structures and societal norms, leading to a significant transformation globally.
Inspira CEO, Izzy Traub, commented on the data, “There has been a lot of public chatter about AI-related job losses forecasted in the 40-50% range. These forecasts take into account new jobs that will be created. What is not taken into consideration is that AI will also take most of these new jobs as well. The job displacement predictions are skewed far too low, at least for knowledge work. The scary truth is that AI will result in massive job losses for office workers, far more extensive than people realize.”
The newly released paper makes the case that automation of office work will take place far faster and broadly than jobs that require manual labor. The argument is that office work requires only the automation of computer processes, while manual labor requires expensive and hard-to-build robots. Automating office work is easier and less costly, and thus office jobs will be impacted more extensively.
Dr. Jo Ann Oravec, a professor at University of Wisconsin, is a contributor to the paper and the author of Good Robot Bad Robot (Springer Nature, 2022). She commented, “predictions about technological futures can never be entirely correct, but Inspira’s efforts are based on solid thinking and will certainly stimulate a new level of insight in business, academics, and public policy. Projections of the impacts of AI are often bold but have little to back them up, unlike Inspira’s pioneering approaches. The world is in for changes of such magnitude that we best prepare ourselves. The work that Inspira is doing is groundbreaking and is sure to have a profound impact on countless lives”.
Download the paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4663704
About Inspira
Inspira AI Corp is an A.I. SaaS company pioneering new cognitive frameworks and conversational agents for workforce optimization.
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