Individual research paper. Select an organization or industry you are interested in and/or
familiar with, and write a paper addressing how that organization or organizations in that
industry use HRM-related analytics and metrics to drive performance. The paper is
expected to be 8-10 pages, 12 font size, double spaced.
Individual Paper
You are to write a thorough analysis of how implementing workforce analytics will help an organization become more efficient and effective in a specific functional area (e.g., recruitment, selection, training and development, performance management, compensation, benefits, legal compliance).
The text of the paper should be no longer than 10 pages in length (12 font size double spaced) . You may include appendices if necessary.
Step 1. Select an organization that you are familiar with. Choose one functional area in HR in this organization as your focus.
Consider these questions: (1) What organization/industry (2) what HR function/process you want to improve (3) how to use a data-analytic approach to quantify the HR function/process that you want to improve?
It is OK to be flexible now and modify later. These HR-related functions/ processes are often the independent variables in your study.
hints: https://blog.sage.hr/8-ways-use-hr-analytics-big-data-workplace/ (Links to an external site.)
Step 2. Discuss the area you chose from the perspective of the organization overall, individual managers, and employees.
You may begin by discussing the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness currently experienced in that area that are contributing to poor HR planning, talent management, legal compliance, performance management, training, succession planning, etc. that are causing undesirable organizational, managerial, and/or employee outcomes.
Moreover, you may identify a desirable outcome. If the organization improves its HR functions/processes as you suggest, what outcomes should it expect? You may consider (1) employee productivity, (2) employee retention, (3) customer retention, etc. Again, try to propose reasonable ways to measure/quantify these outcomes -- they are your dependent variables.
Step 3. Present your argument for how a workforce analytics solution could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the functional area you chose. This is an important step that you turn a business problem into an analytic question.
You should develop your thoughts and arguments based on the central topics covered during the tutorials. Make sure to be specific about how you plan to implement the analytics solution (hint: readings and case studies we discussed in the modules). Also, be specific about the benefits that might accrue to the organization, managers, and employees.
Helpful information related to Step 3: How to develop hypotheses and formulate an analytic plan: Develop_Your_Hypotheses.pdf
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source: Johnson-Murray, Rachael, et al. The Practical Guide to HR Analytics : Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions, Society For Human Resource Management, 2018.
Step 4. Discuss the expected impact of the analytic solution / HR intervention that you propose.
If you have access to real company data, that’s fine. If not, no worries. Focus on how you expect the proposed analytics solutions help improve the organization’s competitive advantage, processes, and strategies.Remember, your goal in this paper is to persuade senior-level managers in this organization that they should invest in people analytics because of the efficiency and effectiveness benefits that will accrue to various stakeholders by doing so.
Helpful information related to Step 4: How to evaluate your proposed HR intervention: Evaluate_Your_Intervention.pdf
Actions
source: Johnson-Murray, Rachael, et al. The Practical Guide to HR Analytics : Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions, Society For Human Resource Management, 2018.