Coming soon · Book Profile
The Basic Principles of People Analytics
A practical primer that demystifies people analytics and shows HR professionals how to use employee data to make better, evidence-based decisions that create business value.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
The Basic Principles of People Analytics is a concise, hands-on guide that strips away the theory and jargon surrounding HR analytics to show HR practitioners exactly how to start using data to drive business outcomes. Through vivid examples—Google reengineering its interview process, Credit Suisse saving tens of millions by predicting turnover, and a cleaning company discovering the real driver of customer satisfaction—the book explains what people analytics is, why it matters, the maturity levels organizations pass through, the skillsets a strong analytics team needs, and a repeatable five-step process from asking the right business question through interpreting and executing on results. It is ideal for HR professionals who want to move beyond static reporting toward predictive, strategic contribution and finally earn HR a credible seat at the strategic table.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- An HR professional or leader who wants to move beyond administrative reporting and become a credible, strategic, data-driven business partner.
- The problem
- HR holds valuable people data but lacks the skills and process to turn it into insights that influence business decisions. They feel confused about where to start, sidelined at the strategic table, and not taken seriously by management.
- The plan
- Ask the right business-relevant question tied to a top CEO priority.
- Select the right data considering level, context, and outcome complexity.
- Clean the data ensuring validity and reliability.
- Analyze using the appropriate descriptive, predictive, or prescriptive technique.
- Interpret results, adjust for context, and execute by selling actionable insights.
- The payoff
- HR quantifies its impact, earns a strategic seat, and drives better business and employee outcomes. · The organization makes fairer, faster, more accurate people decisions and gains competitive advantage.
See our guide
Related profiles we’ve built
- Beyond Hr Boudreau Ramstad →
- Compensating Your Employees Fairly →
- Handbook of Regression Modeling in People Analytics →
- Transformative HR: How Great Companies Use Evidence-Based Change for Sustainable Advantage →
- Work Rules! →
- The basic principle of people analytics learn how to use hr data to drive better outcomes for your business and employees →
Additional reading
- Jack: Straight from the Gut · Jack Welch
The book critiques the widespread, unthinking adoption of GE's '20-70-10' performance ranking system as a prime example of management fad-following, which talentship aims to replace with context-specific, logical analysis.
- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game · Michael Lewis
Used as a key analogy for talentship. It demonstrates how a decision-science approach can identify undervalued, pivotal capabilities to create a competitive advantage, just as talentship aims to do for organizations.
- Work Rules! · Laszlo Bock
Written by Google's former head of People Operations, it provides detailed insights into how Google uses a data-driven approach for hiring and management, a core theme of this book.
- Data Strategy: How to Profit from a World of Big Data, Analytics and the Internet of Things · Bernard Marr
The author's own book, recommended for readers who want more detailed guidance on creating the data strategy that is presented as the foundational first step for data-driven HR.
- High Output Management · Andy Grove
Referenced in the book as an example of how to think analytically and build a business case for a management decision, specifically regarding the ROI of a manager training their own team.
- The Power of People: Learn How Successful Organizations Use Workforce Analytics to Improve Business Performance · Guenole, N., Ferrar, J., & Feinzig, S.
Cited in the book, this is a foundational text that aligns with the book's core theme of using workforce analytics to drive tangible business improvements.
- Human Capital Analytics: How to Harness the Potential of Your Organization's Greatest Asset · Pease, G., Byerly, B., & Fitz-enz, J.
Cited in the book and written by a pioneer in the field, this work provides a comprehensive view on human capital analytics, complementing this book's hands-on manual approach.
- Handbook of regression modeling in people analytics · Keith McNulty
The author's previous book, likely providing foundational quantitative skills for readers who are new to programming or data analysis in R.
- ggplot2: Elegant graphics for data analysis · Hadley Wickham
The definitive guide to the `ggplot2` package in R, which is the foundation for the `ggraph` network visualization package used extensively in the book.
- Stanford Large Network Dataset Collection (SNAP) · Stanford Network Analysis Project
A key public resource with a wide range of large network datasets, recommended by the author for further practice and exploration beyond the book's examples.