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Learn from Today’s Most Successful Workforce Analytics Leaders

Transforming the immense potential of workforce analytics into reality isn’t easy. Pioneering practitioners have learned crucial lessons that can help you succeed. The Power of People shares their journeys—and their indispensable insights.

Drawing on incisive case studies and vignettes, three experts help you bring purpose and clarity to any workforce analytics project, with robust research design and analysis to get reliable insights. They reveal where to start, where to find stakeholder support, and how to earn “quick wins” to build upon.

You’ll learn how to sustain success through best-practice data management, technology usage, partnering, and skill building. Finally, you’ll discover how to earn even more value by establishing an analytical mindset throughout HR, and building two key skills: storytelling and visualization.

The Power of People will be invaluable to HR executives establishing or leading analytics functions; HR professionals planning analytics projects; and any business executive who wants more value from HR.

The Power of People

Foreword by John Boudreau     xv
About the Authors     xix
Interviewees     xxi
Vignettes     xxv
Preface     xxvii
PART I:  UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTALS     1
Chapter 1  Why Workforce Analytics?     3
Adoption of Analytics     4
HR’s Contribution to Business Value     4
The Changing Nature of HR     7
The Future of Work     11
Summary     13
Chapter 2  What’s in a Name?     15
Focus of the Function     16
Activities of the Function     17
A Name Fit for the Future     18
Summary     18
Chapter 3  The Workforce Analytics Leader     19
Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer     20
Responsibilities of the Workforce Analytics Leader     20
Business Acumen     22
Leadership Attributes     23
Summary     26
Chapter 4  Purposeful Analytics     27
A Model for Purposeful Analytics     28
Project Sponsors     38
Why Do Analytics Projects Fail?     40
Summary     42
Chapter 5  Basics of Data Analysis     43
Research Design     44
Objectives of Analysis     47
Unstructured Data     52
Traditional Statistics versus Machine Learning     53
Social Consequences of Algorithms     54
More on Design and Analysis     56
Summary     56
Chapter 6  Case Studies     57
Eight-Step Methodology     58
Case Study: Improving Careers Through Retention Analytics at Nielsen     59
Case Study: From Employee Engagement to Profitability at ISS Group     65
Case Study: Growing Sales Using Workforce Analytics at Rentokil Initial     71
Case Study: Increasing Value to the Taxpayer at the Metropolitan Police     76
Case Study: Predictive Analytics Improves Employee Well-Being at Westpac     80
Summary     83

PART II:  GETTING STARTED 85
Chapter 7  Set Your Direction 87
You Have the Job! Now What?     88
Listening to Prospective Project Sponsors     90
The Seven Forces of Demand     91
Agreeing on the Scope of Analytics     95
Developing a Vision and Mission Statement     95
Summary     97
Chapter 8  Engage with Stakeholders     99
Who Are Stakeholders?     100
Stakeholders Served     101
Stakeholders Depended Upon     106
Stakeholders Impacted     113
Working Effectively with Stakeholders     118
Summary     121
Chapter 9  Get a Quick Win     123
Identifying Potential Projects     125
Complexity-Impact Matrix     125
Assessing Complexity and Impact     129
Summary     133

PART III:  BUILDING YOUR CAPABILITY     135
Chapter 10  Know Your Data     137
A Pragmatic View of Data     138
Solving Data Quality Challenges     138
Data Types and Sources     147
Data Governance     152
Remember the Basics     152
Summary     155
Chapter 11  Know Your Technology     157
Starting with Vision and Mission     158
Components of Workforce Analytics Technology     159
On-Premise Versus Cloud     164
Technology Vendor Relationships     165
Summary     167
Chapter 12  Build the Analytics Team     169
Six Skills for Success     170
Configuring Team Roles     181
Remember the Fundamentals!     184
Summary     185
Chapter 13  Partner for Skills     187
Why Consider Partners?     188
Options for Building the Team     188
Choosing Among the Options     197
Summary     200
Chapter 14  Establish an Operating Model     203
Defining Your Operating Model     204
Strategy     205
Governance     205
Implementation     212
Accountability     221
Summary     224

PART IV:  ESTABLISHING AN ANALYTICS CULTURE     225
Chapter 15  Enable Analytical Thinking     227
Perspectives of Analytics in HR     228
The Translator Role     234
The Importance of Leadership     236
Summary     237
Chapter 16  Overcome Resistance     239
Resistance to Workforce Analytics     240
Stakeholder Skepticism     240
Financial Frugality     245
HR Hesitancy     246
Summary     252
Chapter 17  Communicate with Storytelling and Visualization     253
What Is Storytelling?     254
Effective Visualization     263
Knowing Your Audience     269
Keeping It Simple     273
Summary     275
Chapter 18  The Road Ahead     277
Analytics Provides New Opportunities for HR     278
Emerging Data Sources     278
Considering New Data Sources     280
Evolving Technology     282
The Workforce Analytics Function     283
Summary     286
Glossary     287
References     295
Index     301