HR and analytics: why HR is set to fail the big data challenge

Abstract

The HR world is abuzz with talk of big data and the transformative potential of HR analytics. This article takes issue with optimistic accounts, which hail HR analytics as a 'must have' capability that will ensure HR's future as a strategic management function while transforming organisational performance for the better. It argues that unless the HR profession wises up to both the potential and drawbacks of this emerging field and engages operationally and strategically to develop better methods and approaches, it is unlikely that existing practices of HR analytics will deliver transformational change. Indeed, it is possible that current trends will seal the exclusion of HR from strategic, board-level influence while doing little to benefit organisations and actively damaging the interests of employees.

Big Data in Organizations and the Role of Human Resource Management

“…Those approaches to the use of statistics have become popular, especially in team sports -for instance, in ice hockey (Mason & Foster 2007), basketball (Oliver 2004), and soccer (Anderson & Sally 2013) to name a few. This example reveals a strong focus on strategic HRM, consequently, there is a link between big data and strategic HRM (Angrave et al 2016).…”

“…Nevertheless, big data in HRM is currently underresearched (e.g. Angrave et al 2016, George et al 2014, Huselid 2015 and, although, big data will influence human relations (Harvard Business Review 2013) the current discussion is driven by practitioners rather than researchers. The relation between HRM and big data is quite interesting as HRM holds the competence to support human actors as well as the strategic potential to implement big data into organizations, although its technological competencies are currently underdeveloped (Stone et al 2015).…”

HR-analyse som ledelseskonsept og ledelsesmote

“…Saerlig de siste fem årene har HRA fått oppmerksomhet i innflytelsesrike praktikerorienterte tidsskrifter som Harvard Business Review (HBR, 2014), og i en rekke rapporter utgitt av globale konsulent-og Madsen og Slåtten / HR-analyse som ledelseskonceptog ledelsesmote ISSN: 2596-6200 45 softwareselskaper (f.eks. Deloitte, 2015;Deloitte, 2016Deloitte, , 2017 Størstedelen av utviklingen innen HRA har skjedd i kjølvannet av Big Data (Angrave, Charlwood, Kirkpatrick, Lawrence, & Stuart, 2016). Med muligheter knyttet til «big data» og en videreutvikling av teknologien, har man fått et større potensiale til å bruke informasjon som grunnlag for støtte i beslutningsprosesser (Angrave et al, 2016;Shah, Irani, & Sharif, 2016).…”

“…Deloitte, 2015;Deloitte, 2016Deloitte, , 2017 Størstedelen av utviklingen innen HRA har skjedd i kjølvannet av Big Data (Angrave, Charlwood, Kirkpatrick, Lawrence, & Stuart, 2016). Med muligheter knyttet til «big data» og en videreutvikling av teknologien, har man fått et større potensiale til å bruke informasjon som grunnlag for støtte i beslutningsprosesser (Angrave et al, 2016;Shah, Irani, & Sharif, 2016).…”

Towards People-Centred Organizational Development

“…Indeed, it is possible that current trends will seal the exclusion of HR from strategic, board level influence while doing little to benefit organizations and actively damaging the interests of employees. Angrave et al (2016), for example, argue that if HR is not fully involved in the analytics process, together with the modelling processes involved in predictive and prescriptive level analytics "there is significantly greater scope for models to be constructed in a way which fundamentally misunderstands the International Journal of HRD Practice, Policy and Research 2018, Vol 3 No 1: 95-97 doi: 10.22324/ijhrdppr.3.108 HRD Forum -Book Review nature of human capital inputs into the processes of production and service delivery". Herein lies the risk that analytics will further embed finance and engineering perspectives on people management at boardroom level in ways that will restrict the strategic influence of the HR profession and do little to further the case for people-centric organizational development.…”