10 tips to get started with People Analytics

Despite being one of the most talked about concepts in HR and predictions from industry luminaries like Josh Bersin that 2015 would see its widespread adoption, take-up of HR/Talent/People/Workforce analytics is still remarkably slow.

Indeed, just this week, Bersin posted a blog entitled 'People Analytics Takes Off - Ten Things We've Learned' where he addresses this very issue of a market that has seemingly stalled.

Bersin convincingly argues that like pretty much every other business trend, growth does not come in a straight line but exponentially. Indeed, as the Figure below suggest significant adoption of analytics within the HR function may not be too far away.

Exponential Growth Curve (courtesy of Bersin by Deloitte and  Theemergingfuture.com)

The case for people analytics is pretty much irrefutable, so why the slow uptake? From speaking to practitioners it seems the answer may lie in a combination of fear (as in too much) and knowledge (as in too little).

How can we conquer this two-pronged challenge? Well, this article is intended to signpost 10 tips to help the budding HR analytics aspirant get started.

1. Read some books

There are a plethora of books on getting familiar with analytics – here are three to get you started: ‘Keeping up with the Quants’ by Tom Davenport – widely recognised as the Godfather of analytics; ‘HR Analytics: The what, why and how’ by Tracey Smith; Human Capital Analytics: 'How to Harness the Potential of Your Organization's Greatest Asset' by Gene Pease, Boyce Byerly and Jac Fitz-enz. Alternatively, just check out this excellent compilation of 29 books by iNostix. 

2. Subscribe to some blogs

Likewise, there are a number of excellent blogs on HR analytics that anyone with interest in the subject should subscribe to. Here’s four to get you started: iNostix’s HR Analytics Insights Blog, OrgVue’s HR Analytics Blog, IBM Smarter Workforce's Re-imagine Work, and of course the analytics themed articles on HR Tech World.

3. Join some LinkedIn groups

Whilst the majority of LinkedIn groups are about as useful as a cat flap in an elephant house, this is thankfully not the case when it comes to specialist HR analytics groups. My favourite one is Measuring Human Capital, which is managed by Jeremy Shapiro, has over 2,500 members and features a regular supply of thought provoking discussions.

4. Network with the experts

HR is renowned as a function that is pretty adept at networking, so get those black books out and speak to peers who have already embarked on the yellow brick road of people analytics. If you need help in identifying some experts in this space, please feel free to check out my who’s who of HR Analytics influencer series – see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

5. Plan the first 100 days

Getting started is the theme of this excellent recent white paper from IBM. Recognising that the first 100 days are critical to the success of any business initiative, aspiring HR analytics leaders could do a lot worse than using this guide as a means to get your analytics initiative off the launch pad.

This is an abridged version of the full article, which is available here on the HR Tech World blog.  

Speaking of HR Tech World - see you in Paris on October 27th and 28th. It promises to be quite an event...

About the Author:

David is a Director at Cielo, a leading global recruitment process outsourcing provider. He works with organisations to design talent acquisition programmes that drive growth and competitive advantage. David is a strong advocate of HR taking a more data driven and evidence based approach and is a recognised commentator and influencer on the burgeoning people analytics space. He is part of the HR Tech World Blog Squad, is on the judging panel for the Workforce Analytics Excellence Awards and co-chaired Tucana's People Analytics London conference in April 2015.

Connect with David on LinkedIn and Twitter, or read his 30+ other articles on LinkedIn Pulse.

Keywords: HR, Human Resources, HR Analytics, People Analytics, Talent, Recruiting, Hiring, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, HR Metrics, Cost Per Hire, Workforce Analytics, Talent Analytics, Data Driven HR