The best HR & People Analytics articles of May 2024
I’m writing the introduction to the May edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly on a flight to London from Mexico City. Together with Jonathan Ferrar, I was in Mexico to conduct an Insight222 workshop with the HR Leadership Team of one of the world’s largest global consumer goods companies. The workshop was composed of a number of modules including: consulting with data, prioritisation and data governance. It was the culmination of a month of notable milestones both within Insight222 and the external market:
The Digital HR Leaders podcast celebrated its fifth birthday (see here).
The fifth edition of the Insight222 People Analytics Trends study was launched (see below for details).
We also opened registration for an Insight222 webinar on AI in HR and People Analytics, which will take place on June 13 (see below for details).
In the HR Tech space, Crunchr and TechWolf announced a strategic partnership (see here), and Cornerstone OnDemand acquired SkyHive (read analysis from Alexandra Nawrat here).
Welcome to the 2,513 new subscribers to the Data Driven HR Monthly newsletter, who joined in the last month.
This month’s collection features new research from the likes of Microsoft, McKinsey, and the Talent Strategy Group, as well as resources from practitioners in companies including Mastercard, EY, Novartis, IBM, Intuit, Lego, Ericsson, and Marks & Spencer.
This edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly is sponsored by our friends at TechWolf
The Journey to the Skills-Based Organization
Transform your HR strategy with skill-based insights
Advancements in technology and evolving market demands are reshaping the skills landscape, making the transition to skill-based essential for organisations to remain competitive. Yet, despite widespread recognition of its value, research by Deloitte showed that less than 20% of companies have embarked on this transformative journey toward becoming a skill-based organisation (SBO).
Wondering where to start? Our guide, "Getting Started with Skills," is designed for HR leaders on this journey, covering three actionable steps:
Reasons for adopting a skill-based approach.
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Read our latest guide today. Download now
To sponsor an edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly, and share your brand with over 125,000 Data Driven HR Monthly subscribers, send an email to dgreen@zandel.org.
Join me for an Insight222 webinar on June 13 to discover how AI is reshaping HR and people analytics
As AI and Generative AI continue to dominate HR conversations, it's essential to explore practical applications, benefits, and challenges. Register to join me for an Insight222 webinar on June 13. In the webinar, Jasdeep Kareer, PhD (née Bhambra) Andrew Elston Justin Shemeley and I will discuss:
Real-world use cases demonstrating AI's impact on HR and People Analytics.
Common challenges encountered during AI adoption and strategies for overcoming them.
The importance of responsible AI practices and ethical considerations in HR.
Register for The Role of AI in HR People Analytics webinar.
Invitation: If you are a people analytics leader, participate in the 5th annual Insight222 People Analytics Trends survey...
The Insight222 People Analytics Trends study is now in its fifth year, and has grown to be the biggest and most important annual study in the field of people analytics. We have now opened the survey for 2024, which is intended to gain insights into: (1) People analytics operating model, roles, and technology. (2) Measuring the value of people analytics. (3) AI in HR.
If you are the people analytics leader at your company and would like to participate in the People Analytics Trends study for 2024, click this link and please complete the survey by Sunday 23 June.
Participate in the Insight222 People Analytics Trends Survey for 2024.
Share the love!
Enjoy reading the collection of resources for May 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 April’s compendium (including those in the Comments section).
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.
HYBRID, GENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
MICROSOFT AND LINKEDIN - AI at Work Is Here. Now Comes the Hard Part
We’ve come to the hard part of any tech disruption: moving past experimentation to business transformation. Just as we saw with the advent of the internet or the PC, business transformation comes with broad adoption. Organizations that apply AI to drive growth, manage costs, and deliver greater value to customers will pull ahead.
Microsoft’s 4th annual Work Trend Index, in partnership with LinkedIn provides a comprehensive view of how AI is not only reshaping work, but the labour market more broadly. Three key findings are described in depth: (1) Employees want AI at work—and they won’t wait for companies to catch up. (2) For employees, AI raises the bar and breaks the career ceiling. (3) The rise of the AI power user—and what they reveal about the future. The report contains a series of powerful insights, visualisations, and analysis – such as the impact of AI skills on hiring (see FIG 1). I also recommend watching Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, CEO of SHRM, talking to Kathleen Hogan and Jared Spataro about the integration of AI in enhancing work at Microsoft, insights on AI adoption strategies, and addressing the balance between AI opportunities and workforce implications.
FIG 1: The New Hiring Imperative: AI Aptitude Takes Centre Stage (Source: Microsoft Work Trends, 2024)
ANSHUL SHEOPURI AND LUCRECIA BORGONOVO - At the inflection of AI and HR: How Mastercard is equipping employees for the AI era
We recognize the best way to build trust is to bring our employees along with us on our AI journey, ensuring they are made aware of and educated about our commitment to responsible and ethical AI — in addition to the benefits that AI can bring to their day-to-day experiences and overall career path.
Anshul Sheopuri and Lucrecia Borgonovo share five areas where Mastercard is using AI to improve the way their employees work, grow and manage their careers: (1) AI as career coach. (2) AI as wellbeing guide. (3) AI as workflow assistant. (4) AI as co-pilot. (5) AI as workforce planning partner. For more insights, particularly with regards to how Mastercard is using AI in Unlocked, its internal talent marketplace, I recommend watching the recording of the CHRO Panel at the recent Gloat Live event in New York, where I moderated a panel featuring Michael Fraccaro, Mastercard’s chief people officer, as well as Tanuj Kapilashrami and Tamla Oates-Forney.
MCKINSEY - A new future of work: The race to deploy AI and raise skills in Europe and beyond
Up to 30 percent of hours worked could be automated by 2030, boosted by gen AI, leading to millions of required occupational transitions
An insightful McKinsey study, which explores labour markets in ten European countries and the United States, in the years to 2030 given factors including labour shortages, productivity challenges, and the inexorable rise of technology. The report identifies four key priorities for companies: (1) Understand the potential: Leaders need to understand the potential of how AI and gen AI can augment and automate work. (2) Plan a strategic workforce shift: Once they understand the potential of automation technologies, leaders need to plan the shift toward readiness for the automation and AI era. (3) Prioritise people development: To ensure that the right talent is on hand, leaders could consider strengthening their capabilities to identify, attract, and recruit future AI and gen AI leaders in a tight market. (4) Pursue the executive-education journey on automation technologies: Leaders also need to undertake their own education journey on automation technologies to maximise their contributions during the coming transformation. (Authors: Eric Hazan, Anu Madgavkar, Michael Chui, Sven Smit, Dana Maor, Gurneet Singh Dandona, and Roland Huyghues Despointes).
FIG 2: Source - McKinsey
JEREMIE BRECHEISEN - What Companies Don’t Know About How Workers Use AI
Managers influence 70% of team engagement and they can ensure that your AI strategy supports the organization’s goals and expectations in terms of innovation, agility, and productivity.
Jeremie K Brecheisen presents Gallup research, which finds that leaders do not fully understand their employees’ use of, and readiness for, AI. The study finds that seven in 10 employees never use AI in their job, with only one in 10 saying they use AI on a weekly basis or more often. Brecheisen offers three recommendations for leaders to find the right balance of control and trust around AI, including measuring how their employees currently use AI, cultivating trust by empowering managers, and adopting a purpose-led AI strategy that is driven by the company’s purpose instead of a rules-heavy strategy that is driven by fear.
FIG 3: Could AI improve how work gets done? (Source: Gallup)
HEIDI GRANT, GINNIE CARLIER, AND FRANK GIAMPIETRO - Using Data to Design Your Hybrid Work Policies | JOSE MARIA BARRERO, NICHOLAS BLOOM, SHELBY BUCKMAN, AND STEVEN J. DAVIS - Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA) (May 2024)
In their article for Harvard Business Review, Heidi Grant, Ginnie Carlier, and Frank Giampietro outline how EY has taken a data-driven approach to questions around hybrid work. Their data comparing the performance and well-being of hybrid employees with their fully in-person and remote counterparts has yielded often surprising insights. For example, EY found that hybrid employees who spent 40% to 60% of their time in person experienced higher well-being, belonging, skills development, and engagement when compared to fully remote or in-person employees. The article also provides guidance on how enabling teams to co-create and commit to ways of working drives work-life balance and wellbeing. Read alongside the May 2024 update of the WFH Research report by Jose Maria Barrero, Nick Bloom, Shelby Buckman, and Steven J. Davis, which amongst its many highlights, finds that 66% of workers use an office at least once a month (see FIG 4).
FIG 4: Source – wfhresearch.com
PEOPLE ANALYTICS
PIETRO MAZZOLENI - Blueprint for Balance: IBM’s Guide to Managing and Protecting People Data
In another edition of what it proving to be consistently one of the best newsletters of 2024 – People Data Platform – Pietro Mazzoleni shares the three core principles of how IBM manages and protects people data (see FIG 5). He explains how his team effectively secures data, strikes a balance between protection and accessibility, and establishes clear ownership of every piece of data.
FIG 5: Three core principles for managing and protecting people data (Source: Pietro Mazzoleni)
MCKINSEY - Master data management: The key to getting more from your data
Master data management can give organizations a leg up by allowing them to easily organize and access data about customers, suppliers, products, and employees.
An essential read for HR and people analytics professionals looking to bring their people and other organisational data together to drive value for the company, customers and employees. The article by Aziz Shaikh Holger Harreis Jorge Machado and Kayvaun Rowshankish, provides findings from a McKinsey study on how large companies organise, use, and mature their master data management (MDM). It includes examples of how MDM creates value in five ways (e.g. how MDM standardises data across entities to provide a unified view across various systems), common challenges (e.g. poor data quality – see FIG 6), and guidance on how to implement MDM effectively (e.g. establishing a robust data governance model to maintain integrity and reliability of MDM capabilities).
FIG 6: MDM quality issues (Source: McKinsey)
ANNETT ZIPPEL AND PATRICK COOLEN - Finding the right People Analytics Leader for your organization | MARTHA CURIONI - People Analytics for HR: Demystifying People Analytics | SERENA HUANG - Winning Over Gen Z: How AI & Data Can Create the Ideal Workplace | RORY O’GALLAGHER - Bridging Surveys and Conversations with Generative Listening Tools | WILLIS JENSEN - Moving Beyond Correlation to Causation in People Analytics | LOUISE BAIRD - How To Use People Analytics to Improve Manager Effectiveness
In recent editions of the Data Driven HR Monthly, I’ve featured a collection of articles by current and recent people analytics leaders. Six are highlighted here. (1) In an interview with Annett Zippel of KennedyFitch, Patrick Coolen shares insights on the components of a successful people analytics practice, how to get started, and the skills to look for and build in a people analytics leader. (2) Martha Curioni outlines a five-step methodology to undertake a people analytics project, with the first step perhaps being the most important: Define the Problem Statement. (3) Serena H. Huang, Ph.D. provides guidance on how AI and data can help create effective wellbeing and DEI strategies that resonate with Gen Z. (4) Rory O'Gallagher breaks down the what, why, and how of generative employee listening tools, including how they differ from traditional surveys, how to integrate them into your employee listening ecosystem, and how they will evolve. (5) Willis Jensen sets out the challenges of establishing causation in people analytics and provides guidance on how to get past these challenges such as identifying actionable variables (see FIG 7). (6). Louise Baird, Head of People Analytics at Marks & Spencer, offers practical steps on how to drive manager effectiveness through people analytics.
FIG 7: Examples of non-actionable and actionable variables in people analytics (Source: Willis Jensen)
THE EVOLUTION OF HR, LEARNING, AND DATA DRIVEN CULTURE
NORM SMALLWOOD AND DAVE ULRICH - HR Transformation: Common Pitfalls and Tried and True Tips
Not developing the HR professionals to do strategic work is the #1 reason HR Transformation fails
Norm Smallwood, Dave Ulrich and The RBL Group outline four common HR Transformation pitfalls and tips to overcome each: (1) HR transformation is about transforming the entire HR Department to create value for the business. (2) It requires an understanding of the work that creates value for the business and then designing the organisation and building HR leaders and professionals to enable it (see FIG 8). (3) Invest in providing HR professionals with frameworks, tools, and shared language to do strategic work – “For impact on the business, HR must invest in itself.” (4) Capabilities are the link between business strategy and HR actions.
FIG 8: Source – The RBL Group
ZAC UPCHURCH | TALENT STRATEGY GROUP – CHRO Trends 2024: Insights from the Fortune 200 Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief People Officer Changes
Zac Upchurch presents the key findings from the seventh annual edition of The Talent Strategy Group’s CHRO Trends report. Three of the ten trends are: (1) A Decline In CHRO/CPO Appointments - 2023 had the fewest Fortune 200 CHROs/CPOs appointments since the report’s inception, with 22 new CHROs/CPOs appointed in 2023. (2) The Rapid Increase in Internal Succession - 73% of 2023 appointed CHROs/CPOs came to the role via internal succession, a rate not seen since 2017. (3) The HRBP as the CHRO/CPO Stepping Stone - The vast majority of the 2023 CHRO/CPO appointments consisted of individuals that served in a HRBP role prior to their CHRO/CPO appointment.
FIG 9: Internal vs. External CHRO/CPO hires in 2023 (top) and from 2017-2023 (bottom) (Source: Talent Strategy Group)
STORYTELLING WITH DATA SPECIAL
JAY DORIO - How to Empower HR Through Data Literacy | BRENT DYKES - Data Storytelling Arc: Demystifying Narrative Structure In Data Stories | NANCY DUARTE - How to Create Slides That Suit Your Superiors: 11 Tips | GANES KESARI - The Enduring Power of Data Storytelling in the Generative AI Era | COLE NUSSBAUMER KNAFLIC - How HR professionals can Master Storytelling with Data
As Jay Dorio reveals in his article, which is based on Insight222 research on how to build data literacy in HR at scale, storytelling is one of the five core skills HR professionals need to build to improve their data literacy. Four resources I recommend on storytelling are: (1) Brent Dykes analyses alternative narrative models for data storytelling and presents his Data Storytelling Arc (see FIG 10). (2) Nancy Duarte outlines 11 tips for preparing slides for an internal presentation, which includes four things you must have in every exec’s slides: start with an executive summary, have a logical organisation, make it skimmable, and focus on concise insights. (3) Ganes Kesari presents a 2x2 (see FIG 11) to help select the best approach to drive decision-making with data. (4) In a recent episode of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic discusses the transformative power of storytelling in the context of people data and analytics.
FIG 10: Data Storytelling Arc (Source: Brent Dykes)
FIG 11: What kind of decision are you making? Four Situations (Source: Ganes Kesari)
WORKFORCE PLANNING, ORG DESIGN, AND SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATIONS
AMANDA EVANS - Applying People Analytics To Organizational Design
Amanda Jane Evans draws on recent collaborative research by Andrea Derler, Ph.D. of Visier Inc. and Amy C. Lewis, PhD to demonstrate how people analytics can inform actions on team size that drive business performance. The research highlighted that smaller teams—specifically those with six to 10 members—tend to harbour more high performers and have lower resignation rates (see FIG 12). In her article, Amanda explains that people analytics revealed that smaller teams at Partners Group are more likely to be successful in scenarios with direct client contact where high expectations for performance and stakeholder management are set. Amanda also explains how the firm proactively uses people analytics to analyse span of control during business transformation.
FIG 12: Smaller teams have lower resignation rates (Source: Visier)
EMPLOYEE LISTENING, EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
MCKINSEY - To defend against disruption, build a thriving workforce
To build a thriving workplace, leaders must reimagine work, the workplace, and the worker.
Generative AI provides organisations – and HR professionals – with the opportunity to reimagine work, the workplace and the worker. In their article, the McKinsey team of Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN (née Schouten), Aaron De Smet, Emily Field, Taylor Lauricella, and Brooke Weddle, break down what a ‘thriving culture’ is (and what it isn’t) and offer five actions companies can adopt to maximise healthy work environments, team effectiveness, and employee well-being so that more workers can reach their peak performance.
FIG 13: Employee segments as a share of an organisation’s workforce (Source: McKinsey)
DAWN KLINGHOFFER - The Key to a Thriving Workforce? A Smart Approach to AI
What we find is that AI is really there to help you take friction and toil out of the system, and to remove the drudgery of work. And when people are able to remove some of that drudgery, we see that they’re more productive, and they thrive more.
Dawn Klinghoffer, Global Head of People Analytics at Microsoft, shares insights from the company’s recent Employee Signals survey. The findings not only highlighted the tangible benefits of thriving, but also identified a key catalyst for fostering it: access to AI. The article then highlights how thriving – and access to AI – has a positive impact on three indicators of high performance: (1) Meaningfulness (incorporating AI into the day correlated to a 20% jump in scores relating to meaningful work). (2) Empowerment. (3) Energy (scores on energy-related questions for those using AI jumped almost 27%). Dawn also shares the ABCs of thriving with AI: Accelerate alignment, Be inclusive, and Cultivate collective growth. This is another example of how Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to employee listening (see FIG 14) – coupled with the sponsorship of the CEO, Satya Nadella, leads to insights that drive positive outcomes for the business and the workforce. For more on Microsoft’s approach to employee thriving, listen to Dawn in conversation with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast: How Microsoft Created A Thriving Workforce By Going Beyond Employee Engagement.
FIG 14: Microsoft’s Employee Listening Ecosystem (Source: Dawn Klinghoffer)
EMILY PELOSI AND PAIGE MCGLAUFLIN - Intuit’s ‘head of employee listening’ talks about the science of worker feedback—and the art of asking the right questions
In an interview with Fortune, Emily Pelosi, PhD, Head of Employee Listening at Intuit, discusses why her role was created, what it involves, and how she helps Intuit’s leaders harness employee feedback to make better and more informed decisions based on data. Two areas that really resonate, are (1) how Emily partners closely with Intuit’s CEO and chief people officer to shape their bi-annual survey and take action on the results. (2) the importance of asking the right questions.
BENJAMIN LAKER AND STEFANIA MARIANO - The Unexpected Upsides of Letting Employees Define Their Jobs | JACKSON ROATCH - The Work-GPT Paradox, AI and Job Crafting
Job crafting creates an environment of autonomy, encouraging employees to take initiative and innovate.
Three resources about ‘job crafting’, which in the article by Benjamin Laker and Stefania Mariano is described as: “Job crafting is a proactive approach where employees reshape their roles to infuse more meaning and engagement into their work.” Their article describes the three primary components – task crafting, relational crafting, and cognitive crafting – and discusses the benefits, challenges and considerations for implementing job crafting successfully. In the second article, Jackson Roatch explains how using AI more can enable employees to use job crafting to make their jobs 5-10% better. He cites research by Amy Wrzesniewski, as well as the work of Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA and John Boudreau in deconstructing jobs, to provide an example of how AI can shape the role of a data analyst (see FIG 15). Finally, for more on job crafting, I recommend listening to Dan Cable in discussion with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast: How to Help People Love What They Do At Work.
FIG 15: Using AI to ‘job craft’ the role of the data analyst (Source: Jackson Roatch)
LEADERSHIP, CULTURE, AND INCLUSION
ALLAN H. CHURCH, JAMES SCRIVANI, AND MARKUS GRAF - Unleashing The Power of Assessments for Leaders and their Organizations
Based on their experience of working with assessment tools in organisations such as PepsiCo and Novartis, Allan Church, Ph.D. Jim S. and Markus Graf present a three-step guide to building an effective, impactful and meaningful assessment system: (1) Focus Assessments on Future Capabilities Needed for Your Organisation. (2) Take a Multi-Trait, Multi-Method Approach to Assessment, aka Use Multiple Lenses. (3) Unlock the Value of Assessment Insights for Leaders, Teams, and the Organisation (see FIG 16).
FIG 16: The Three Levels of Assessment Insights (Source: Church et al)
MCKINSEY - In the spotlight: Performance management that puts people first
Companies that focus on their people’s performance are 4.2 times more likely to outperform their peers, realizing an average 30 percent higher revenue growth and experiencing attrition five percentage points lower.
While effective performance management systems support employees to develop, new research by McKinsey finds that most companies fall short of best practices. In their article, Amaia Noguera Andrea Pedroni Asmus Komm and Simon Gallot Lavallée provide insights on how leading companies approach performance management across four elements - goal setting, performance reviews, ongoing development, and rewards (see FIG 17). The article also digs into five enabling factors: (1) Ensure that performance management systems are agile. (2) Provide regular feedback. (3) Establish an effective fact base. (4) Maintain rating and differentiation. (5) Employ gen AI.
FIG 17: Designing a performance management system (Source: McKinsey)
CATHERINE COPPINGER - Manager Effectiveness: 5 Metrics That Matter More than eSat Scores
Catherine Coppinger presents findings from Worklytics research on manager effectiveness, which highlights the top drivers of low and high manager satisfaction (see FIG 18). The article also recommends metrics for measuring manager effectiveness, which are based on five things top-performing managers tend to do: (1) Provide regular coaching. (2) Define and implement reasonable team norms. (3) Support their team (without micromanaging). (4) Elevate and unblock their team via network connections. (5) Routinely engage with team members in-person. For more insights on this topic, listen to Catherine on a recent episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast: How to Use Passive Data to Enhance Manager Effectiveness. I also recommend checking out the deck Philip Arkcoll and Michael Arena presented recently at Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP): The ONA Hype Cycle: Why this Time is Different.
FIG 18: The drivers of lower and higher manager satisfaction (Source: Worklytics)
HR TECH VOICES
Much of the innovation in the field is driven by the vendor community. I’ve picked out a few resources from May that I recommend readers delve into:
ARCTIC SHORES - The pragmatist’s playbook for skills-based hiring – An indispensable guide to skills-based hiring from Robert Newry and the team at Arctic Shores. It features: why companies are shifting from experience to skills-based hiring (see FIG 19) a seven-step framework for skills-based hiring, case studies from Siemens and Molson Coors, and contributions from the likes of Hung Lee, Gemma Aldridge, Joe Sidley, and Yasar Ahmad.
FIG 19: The shift from experience-based to skill-based hiring (Source: Arctic Shores)
ANDY PRZYSTANSKI - Lattice Data Reveals Lower Engagement, Stretched Managers, and More – Andy Przystanski presents findings from analysis of over one million employees on Lattice’s people platform including (1) Engagement is down - between 2022 and 2023, eNPS decreased from an already low 33.33 to 24.8 (see FIG 20). (2) Manager span of control is increasing. (3) Soft skills are in high demand.
FIG 20: Source - Lattice
FRANCISCO MARIN - Embracing Generative AI in Organizational Network Analysis: 8 Key Considerations for Success – Francisco Marin of Cognitive Talent Solutions sets out eight key considerations for successfully incorporating GenAI into organisational network analysis including: (1) Define clear objectives, (2) Ensure data quality, and (3) Prioritise privacy and ethics.
KEN OEHLER - Unlocking the Power of Personality – Ken Oehler presents new research from RADICL, which explores the link between personality traits and areas such as hybrid collaboration, trust, employee experience, and productivity. A fascinating read.
FIG 21: Source - RADICL
FRESIA JACKSON, HEATHER WALKER, AUBREY BLANCHE-SARELLANO - Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 2024 Report – Culture Amp’s Workplace DEI Report is always an insightful read and the 2024 edition is no exception. As Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano writes in the Foreword: “DEI has become both a buzzword and the target of significant backlash.” The report by Fresia Jackson, Heather Rose Walker, PhD and the team provides detail on five key findings including: (1) Perception of DEI in the workplace is falling globally. (2) Intersectionality has a compounding effect. (3) Embedding DEI into existing programs has a bigger impact.
FIG 22: Source – Culture Amp
PODCASTS OF THE MONTH
In another month of high-quality podcasts, I’ve selected four gems for your aural pleasure:
COLE NAPPER, SCOTT HINES, AND GUESTS – Live from SIOP 2024 – If you only listen to one podcast this month, I highly recommend this episode of the Directionally Correct podcast, recorded live at the recent SIOP 2024 event. Joining hosts Cole Napper and Scott Hines, PhD, are a stellar list of people analytics practitioners: Anthony Ferreras, Amy Frost Stevenson, PhD, Rob Stilson, Ph.D., Emily Pelosi, PhD, and Kelsie L. Colley, M.S. PhD ABD.
SERGIO EZAMA - Unlocking the Secrets of Netflix's Innovative HR Strategy – Netflix CHRO Sergio Ezama joins Lars Schmidt on the Redefining Work podcast to share a unique approach to compensation that's setting new benchmarks in the HR landscape.
VIDYA KRISHNAN AND PETER SHEPPARD – Why Skills are like Oxygen – Vidya Krishnan and Peter Sheppard join Stacia Sherman Garr and Dani Johnson on RedThread Research’s Workplace Stories podcast to share Ericsson’s skills-based approach and why “Skills are like oxygen, invisible but necessary.”
TOMAS CHAMORRO-PREMUZIC - Why so many bad bosses still rise to the top – Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Bryan Hancock, and Brooke Weddle join host Lucia Rahilly on the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast to discuss why the traits that propel us to the top seem to diverge so widely from those that make us great leaders—as well as how to choose stronger, more successful, and more diverse candidates for leadership roles.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
NEHA UPADHYAYA – Building an Impactful People Analytics Practice
I recently had the privilege of attending the Wharton People Analytics Conference - thanks to Matthew Bidwell, Laura Zarrow, and team. All the sessions from the event can now be viewed including this one featuring Neha Upadhyaya presenting the findings of interviews and surveys of people analytics leaders. The talk presents the initial findings, including the trends they've uncovered, and the pitfalls to avoid in order to build and sustain an impactful people analytics team.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
ANISH LALCHANDANI – The Skills Advantage: A Human-Centered, Sustainable, and Scalable Approach to Reskilling
In the ‘Book of the Month’, Anish Lalchandani breaks down ‘why’ companies should make the paradigm shift towards a skill-centric approach, ‘how’ it contributes to business success, and provides guidance on ‘what’ steps practitioners can take with regards to Agility, Awareness, Application and Alliances in building a comprehensive reskilling strategy. The book is an indispensable guide for HR leaders looking to embrace a successful skills-based approach.
RESEARCH REPORT OF THE MONTH
STEFANO DI LAURO, AIZHAN TURSUNBAYEVA, GILDA ANTONELLI. AND LUIGI MOSCHERA - Disrupting human resource management with people analytics: a study of applications, value, enablers and barriers in Italy
In their paper, Stefano Di Lauro, Aizhan Tursunbayeva, PhD, GRP, Gilda Antonelli, and Luigi Moscheraexplore the adoption and impact of people analytics in Italy. Key findings suggest that people analytics, particularly descriptive, is growing, and that benefits are being enjoyed at both an organisational and employee level.
FIG 23: People Analytics value for organisations in Italy (Source: Di Lauro et al)
FROM MY DESK
May saw four episodes of the Digital HR Leaders podcast - with two each sponsored by our friends at Worklytics and Crunchr. Thank you to Philip Arkcoll and Laura Morris from Worklytics and Ralf Bovers and Dirk Jonker from Crunchr for your partnership and support.
LASSAAD ESSAFI AND DAVID GREEN - How EDLIGO Enhances Organisational Performance with Skills-Based Models - In this Expert Interview, I sit down with Lassaad Essafi, CEO at EDLIGO Talent Analytics and Learning Analytics to explore why a skills-based approach to talent management is not just a strategic imperative but a significant driver of business value and organisational performance, drawing upon recent studies and real-world examples.
LOREN SHUSTER - Lego’s Blueprint for Modern HR: People, Places and Culture - Loren I. Shuster, Chief People Officer at the LEGO Group joins me to discuss Lego’s blueprint for modern HR.
CRAIG STARBUCK – Understanding the Build vs. Buy Dilemma in People Analytics and HR Tech – Craig Starbuck, PhD reflects on his decade long journey in the field and provides insights on aligning people analytics with business priorities, build vs. buy, ONA use cases, partnering with finance, and building data literacy in HR professionals.
DAVID GREEN - How can HR use people analytics to revolutionise the workplace experience? – A round-up of Series 38 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, with insights from Nickle LaMoreaux, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, Catherine Coppinger, Loren I. Shuster and Craig Starbuck, PhD.
DAISY AUGER-DOMINGUEZ - Four Steps Towards Building a More Diverse and Inclusive Company Culture – Daisy Auger-Dominguez (she/her/ella) joins me to share insights from her book, Inclusion Revolution, including her four-step model (Reflect, Vision, Act, Persist) and how these principles can be practically applied to instigate meaningful change.
KATE BRAVERY AND ILYA BONIC - Navigating the Future of Work: AI, Skills, and Trust in the Modern Workforce – Kate Bravery and Ilya Bonic of Mercer, two of the authors – along with Kai Anderson – of Work Different: 10 Truths for Winning in the People Age join me for a discussion on how AI and skills are shaping the future of work, workforce and workplace, and how organisations that prioritise trust and transparency will ultimately win.
DAVID GREEN - Five Ways HR Creates a Thriving Organisational Culture – An article inspired by Series 37 of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, where we dug in to the anchors of culture to identify five ways in which HR can support a thriving organisational culture. These include employee listening, continuous learning, and empowering line managers. The article features insights from episodes with Rebecca Thielen, Didier Elzinga, Rob Briner, and Louise Millar / Olivia Edwards.
LOOKING FOR A NEW ROLE IN PEOPLE ANALYTICS OR HR TECH?
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 525 roles.
THANK YOU
Amit Mohindra for including me in his post about people analytics and power, and for calling out Jeremy Shapiro’s seminal 2010 Harvard Business Review article, Competing on Talent Analytics, which was co-authored by Tom Davenport and Jeanne Harris.
Paul David and the team at Literal Humans for including me in their list of The Top 43 HR Tech influencers to help promote your product.
Anastasia Mizitova, SHRM-SCP, CPCC for endorsing Excellence in People Analytics.
Sanja Licina, Ph.D. for her post about Excellence in People Analytics.
Olimpiusz Papiez for sharing his key learnings on storytelling in people analytics, inspired by the recent Digital HR Leaders podcast episode with Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic: Mastering Storytelling for HR Transformation.
Christopher Cerasoli for posting about the Digital HR Leaders podcast episode with Craig Starbuck, and highlighting the need for HR to speak the language of finance.
Helena Turpin for including the Digital HR Leaders podcast in her six recommended podcasts for learning.
Charlotte Chandler for also including the Digital HR Leaders podcast in her list of five recommended podcasts for HR professionals.
Similarly, Mirro.io for including the Digital HR Leaders podcast in their list of 13 top HR podcasts
Thomas Kohler for including the April edition in his round-up of recommended HR resources.
Julia Reis for also including the Data Driven HR Monthly in her list of resources for HR professionals
Juliette Matharan for including the podcast episode with Louise Millar and Olivia Edwards in her five podcasts of the month
Qandle for including me in their list of Top 25 HR Influencers and Leaders to follow
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:
June 4-5 - Insight222 European Peer Meeting (hosted by Nestlé in Vevey, Switzerland) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
June 25-26 - Insight222 North American Peer Meeting (Minneapolis, US) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
September 16-19 - Workday Rising (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)
October 22-23 - Insight222 North American Peer Meeting (hosted by Workday in Pleasanton, CA) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
November 12-14 - Workday Rising EMEA (London)
November 19-20 - Insight222 European Peer Meeting (hosted by Merck in Darmstadt, Germany) - exclusively for member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program
people analytics leader
2024年06月03日
people analytics leader
The 10 golden rules for establishing a people analytics practice十大黄金法则：
战略适配性：确保人力资源分析项目与组织的战略目标对齐，以实现最大的价值和影响。
持续的员工倾听：通过整合员工和业务的声音，优先处理正确的战略人力资源问题。
证据基础的HR服务整合：将所有基于证据的HR服务整合到一个功能中，提升人力资源分析的交付速度和质量。
清晰的人力资源分析操作模型：建立一个目标操作模型，明确客户、可交付服务、服务水平和交付时间。
数据隐私合规性：遵守数据隐私法规，同时考虑数据分析在文化和业务连续性方面的影响。
数据驱动决策的HR能力提升：通过提升HR社区的数据和洞察力使用，将业务机会转化为分析服务。
管理HR数据：建立集中的企业级数据基础设施，改善数据的组合、共享和分析能力。
产品设计和思维：确保人力资源分析服务的用户设计友好，易于导航，并激励用户在决策中使用数据。
实验与最小可行产品：通过实验和最小可行产品，逐步评估和改进解决方案，避免大规模实施失败。
利用人工智能的潜力：构建和实施基于机器学习的AI功能，确保模型的性能和有效性，同时控制数据偏见和合法性。
这些法则展示了通过系统方法创建并采纳人力资源分析实践的重要性，强调了以数据和证据为基础支持人力资源功能的必要性。
It is time for an update on my previous posts on the 10 golden rules of people analytics, simply because so much has happened since then. For example, continuous employee listening, artificial intelligence (AI in HR), agile HR, employee experience, strategic workforce management, and hybrid working are just a few emerging topics in recent years listed in Gartner's hype cycle for HR transformation (2023).
In the last year, I have spoken to many people working in different organisations on establishing people analytics as an accepted practice. I have also joined some great conferences (HRcoreLAB, PAW London & Amsterdam) where I learned from excellent speakers. I also (re)engaged with some excellent people analytics and workforce management vendors, such as Crunchr, Visier, eQ8, AIHR, One Model, Mindthriven, and Agentnoon. Finally, I also enjoyed having multiple elevating discussions with some thought leaders who influenced my thinking (e.g., David Green, Rob Briner, Jonathan Ferrar, Dave Millner, Sjoerd van den Heuvel, Ian O'Keefe, Brydie Lear, Jaap Veldkamp, RJ Milnor, and Nick Kennedy).
These encounters and my ongoing PhD research on adopting people analytics resulted in a treasure trove of new ideas and knowledge that confirmed my experience and beliefs that it is all about creating an embraced people analytics practice using a systemic approach in supporting HR in becoming more evidence-based. So, like I said, it's time for an update. I hope you enjoy and appreciate the post, and I invite you to engage and react in the comments or send me a direct message.
Create a strong strategy FIT.
It is obvious but not a common practice that your people analytics portfolio needs to align or fit with your strategic organisational goals. A strong strategic FIT ensures you execute people analytics projects with the most value and impact on your organisation. It is, therefore, important to integrate the decision-making on where to play in people analytics with your periodic HR prioritisation process.
Strategic workforce management and continuous employee listening are pivotal in prioritising the right strategic workforce issues
The bigger picture is that two people analytics-related HR interventions, strategic workforce management and continuous employee listening, are pivotal in prioritising the right strategic workforce issues. By blending the insights from these HR interventions, you ensure you are prioritising based on the voice of the business and the voice of the employee. See also my previous post on strategic workforce management. Because people analytics is at the core of these HR interventions and provides many additional strategic insights, I argue we need a new HR operating model where the people analytics practice is positioned at the centre of HR.
I argue that we need a new HR operating model where the people analytics practice is positioned at the centre of HR
Grow and integrate evidence-based HR services.
Based on my experience and research, I strongly advise integrating all evidence-based HR services into one function. See also my previous post on establishing a people analytics practice. This integration will enhance the speed and quality of your people analytics delivery, make you a trusted analytical strategic advisor, and make you a more attractive employer for top people analytics talent. All other people analytics function setups seem like compromises.
With evidence-based HR services, I refer to activities such as reporting, advanced analytics, survey management, continuous employee listening, organisational design and strategic workforce management. It is hardly ever that a strategic question is answered by only one of these services. In most cases, you will need to combine survey management (i.e., collecting new data), perform advanced analytics (i.e., build a predictive model), and share the outcomes in a dashboard (i.e., reporting) or build new system functionality based on the models (e.g., vacancy recommendation).
You will need to combine various people analytics services to provide real strategic value
Create a clear people analytics operating model.
Because the people analytics practice is maturing, it deserves a clear target operating model. In a target operating model, you clarify to the organisation whom you consider your clients, what services or solutions you can deliver, what service levels your clients can expect, and when and how you will deliver the solution.
Being transparent about your target operating model will build trust and legitimacy in your organisation. Inspired by the work of Insight222, a people analytics target operating model consists of a demand engine (understanding and prioritising demand), a solution engine (e.g., data management, building models, designing surveys), and a delivery engine (e.g., dashboards, advisory with story-telling, bringing models to production), ideally covering all the evidence-based HR services mentioned under rule 2 in this post. Additionally, more practices are applying agile principles to increase time-to-delivery and are using some form of release management to balance capacity.
Built trust and legitimacy
Compliance with data privacy regulations has been an important topic since the early days of people analytics ten years ago. Even before the GDPR era, organisations did well to understand when personal data could be collected, used, or shared. Legislation such as GDPR offers guidance and more structure to organisations on how to deal with data privacy issues.
Being fully compliant is not where responsible data handling ends
However, being fully compliant is not where responsible data handling ends. Simply because you can, according to data privacy regulations, doesn't mean you should. There are also contextual and ethical elements to take into account. For example, being able and regulatory-wise allowed to build an internal sourcing model matching internal employees with specific skills with internal vacancies doesn't mean you should. From a cultural or business continuity perspective, creating internal mobility may not be beneficial or desired in specific areas of your organisation. Assessing the implications of using data analytics in a broader context than just regulations will also enhance the needed trust and legitimacy.
Upskill HR in data-driven decision-making
Having a mature people analytics practice that delivers high-quality, evidence-based HR services is not enough to ensure value creation for your organisation. Suppose your organisation, including your HR community, struggles to translate business opportunities into analytical services or finds it hard to use data and insights on a daily basis in their decision-making. In that case, upskilling is a necessary intervention.
HR upskilling in data-driven decision-making is a necessity in growing towards a truly evidence-based HR culture
Creating awareness of the various analytical opportunities, developing critical thinking, creating an inquisitive mindset, identifying success metrics for HR interventions and policies, evaluating these metrics, and understanding the power of innovative data services, such as generative AI, is essential. When upskilling, be sure to recognise the different HR roles and their needs and preferences. For example, your HR business partners will likely want to develop their skills in identifying strategic workforce metrics and strategic workforce management. However, your COE lead (i.e., HR domain leads) wants to develop their ability to collect and understand internal clients' feedback and improve their HR services (e.g., recruitment, learning programs, leadership development). So, diversify your learning approach to make it more effective.
Manage your HR data
There is enormous value in integrating your HR and business data in a structured matter. Integrated enterprise-wide data allows you to combine, improve, share, and analyse data more efficiently. More organisations are using data warehouse and data lake principles to create this central enterprise-wide data infrastructure based on, for example, Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services technology.
A mature people analytics team is best equipped to create an HR data strategy and manage the corresponding data pipeline.
HR would do well to improve its capability to manage the data pipeline by hiring data engineers. It is an interesting discussion about where to position this data management capability and related skill set. The first thought is to position this capability close to the HR systems and infrastructure function. This setup might work perfectly. However, based on your HR context and maturity, I argue that the people analytics practice is a good and sometimes better alternative. Mature people analytics teams are likely more able to think about data management and creating data products and services built with machine learning models. Traditional HR systems and infrastructure teams may tend to focus too much on the efficiency of the HR infrastructure (e.g., straight-through processing, rationalising the HR tech landscape).
Excel in product design and thinking
Successful people analytics or evidence-based HR services excel in product design. Whether built with PowerBI or vendor-led BI platforms (e.g., Crunchr, Visier, One Model), dashboards must be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and motivate users to work with data in their decision-making. The same applies to functionality based on machine learning models, such as chatbots, learning assistants, or vacancy recommendations. The user design, the functionality provided, and the flawless and timely delivery all contribute to maximising the usage of these analytical services and, ultimately, decision-making.
Strong product design and thinking requires product owners to have a marketing mindset
As important as the product design is product thinking by the product owner. A product owner for, e.g., recruitment or leadership programs, should be constantly interested in hearing what internal clients think about their products. This behaviour requires product owners to have a marketing mindset. As part of a larger continuous listening program, an internal client feedback mechanism should provide the necessary information to improve your products and services continuously. A product owner should be curious about questions like: Are your internal clients satisfied? Should we tailor the products for different user types? What functionality can we improve or add?
Allow yourself to experiment
When a solution looks good and makes sense based on your analytics, management tends to go for an immediate big-bang implementation. However, don't be afraid to experiment and learn before rolling out your solution to all possible users. Starting with a minimum viable product (i.e., MVP) allows you to evaluate your product among a select group of users early in the development process. Based on feedback, you can enhance your product incrementally (i.e., agile) manner.
It also enables you, when valuable, to compare treatment groups with non-treatment groups. These types of experiments (i.e., difference-in-difference comparisons) help you to evaluate the effect the new product intends to have. People analytics services can support this incremental approach, testing a minimal viable product (MVP) and obtaining feedback to provide additional insights that may avoid a big implementation failure of your new products.
Embrace the potential of AI in HR
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is predominantly based on machine learning (ML). These AI-ML models provide powerful functionality such as vacancy and learning recommendations, chatbots, and virtual career or work schedule assistants. There is no need to fear these applications, but having a deeper understanding of them is necessary. However, implementing these types of functionality without checking and validating them is risky and, therefore, unwise.
A mature people analytics practice allows you to build your own machine-learning-based AI functionality
A mature people analytics practice allows you to create and build these AI functionalities internally. You can also buy AI functionality by implementing a vendor tool, but please ensure you do not end up with a new vendor for each AI functionality you desire. If you choose to buy AI functionality, the people analytics team should act as a gatekeeper. Internally built machine learning models are subject to checks and balances. And rightfully so. However, the same should apply to ML-based AI functionality from external providers. The people analytics team should check the performance and validity of the model and control for biases in the data and legal and ethical justification.
The people analytics leader can make the difference
If you are the people analytics leader within your organisation, it might be daunting or reassuring to hear that you can make the difference between failure and success. You bring the people analytics practice alive by reaching out to stakeholders, developing your team, understanding your clients, learning from external experts, and building a road map to analytical maturity.
A successful people analytics practice starts with the right people analytics leader
As a people analytics leader, you should excel in business acumen, influencing skills, strategic thinking, critical and analytical thinking, understanding the HR system landscape, understanding the possibilities of analytical services, project management, and, last but not least, people management (as all leaders should). The result of having all these capabilities is that a people analytics leader, together with the people analytics team, becomes a trusted advisor to senior management, understands the most pressing issues within an organisation, can effectively manage the HR data pipeline, and can build new analytical services to enhance decision-making and ultimately drive organisational performance and employee well-being.
I hope you enjoyed my update on the 10 golden rules for establishing people analytics practice. If you enjoyed the post, please hit ? or feel invited to engage and react in the comments. Send me a direct message if you want to schedule a virtual meeting to exchange thoughts one-on-one.
Thanks to Jaap Veldkamp for reviewing.
作者 ：Patrick Coolen
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-golden-rules-establishing-people-analytics-practice-patrick-coolen-85use/
people analytics leader
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