Driving Behavior Change with Data at the The Wharton People Analytics conference!

The Wharton People Analytics conference leverages the power of data and analytics to help people and organizations thrive. HRComputes’ Kristina Kohl, Managing Principal, is honored to have attended the conference serving on an esteemed panel of judges for the Wharton People Analytics Conference 2019 Startup Competition. 
Over 30 startups working in the field of people analytics submitted pitch decks to the competition. The panel had the pleasure of providing feedback and recommending a winner from the 5 finalists using the following metrics:

·       Innovation

·       Impact

·       Scientific rigor and use of data

·       Presentation

·       Investment Decision

The finalists were:

Inclusive AI Platform for the Talent Cycle to Track and Measure DI&E Hiring Goals
Text Insights and Information
Leveraging Networks to Improve Outcomes
Prescriptive Recommendations to Close the Gender Pay Gap
Data-driven Employee Experience

The range of data driven solutions was expansive ranging from employee engagement to gender equality. The winner was Margret Bjarnadottir, Founder, PayAnalytics. For more details visit https://wpa.wharton.upenn.edu/2019-conference-competitions/

The world of human capital management is rapidly changing as people are recognized as an organizations most valuable asset. Attracting, engaging and retaining employees is now top of mind for most executives but the feedback tools such as surveys provide limited insight into what is driving employee engagement. No one is more aware of this issue than knowledge-based firms such as Microsoft and Google. As a result, they have developed their own solutions such as Microsoft’s Workplace Analytics https://products.office.com/en-us/business/workplace-analytics?ms.officeurl=workplaceanalytics&rtc=1

that analyses employees’ calendars and email data to identify how employee resources are used on projects, in meetings, after hours, etc. One use case revealed a large manufacturing organization that was spending 300,000 employee hours and $30 million a year on a recurring executive briefing.

Stephanie Tignor, People Scientist and Analytics Lead at Humu, https://humu.com/

discussed the importance of behavior change. When employees are asked about engagement 70% of the difference between an engaged and disengaged employee relates directly to the manager. We have all been talking about the importance of ongoing meaningful conversations and regular meetings between managers and employees, but execution remains a challenge. Through digital tools, managers are better able to execute human management. Humu tool uses a digital “nudge” sending a reminder to managers that includes a schedule invite for setting up a meeting with employees. This approach significantly increases the occurrence of meaningful manager and employee meetings and conversations.

While the conference clearly highlights the advances that we are making in data science in the area of people analytics, it is also clear that these tools are not a replacement for human interactions but rather a tool to help managers in their employee interactions.

It was an honor the be included on the judging panel where I learned a great deal from my fellow judges as well as from the program participants. Based on my experience in human capital technology and organizational transformation, I was able to contribute real world perspective and an independent perspective. It was a fantastic experience to learn about cutting edge people analytics technology and the significant impact it is having on challenging human capital issues such as diversity, inclusion, equity and engagement.

Management and common sense – not an oxymoron!

 Whenever I read an article or expert opinion on how to be a better boss I often think it strikes me as common sense and that’s not a bad thing. 

In a new article in the Wall Street Journal on October 30 they detailed the biggest mistakes bosses make when making decisions.

Her's the gist of the article in three lines:
  1. Don’t tell people something that isn’t true.
  2. Understand when to push and went to let things flow.
  3. Treat decisions as something completed yet not as a substitute for action.

The article lays out 4 tenets starting with not just pretending to allow employees to have influence. The bottom line is to respect people’s time and include them in the loop when they really can be part of the decision.

The next recommendation is to know when to slow down. The point here is that some decisions require careful thought especially risky, important or complicated ones.

The third and fourth. encourage the boss to make a decision and then stick to it. Balance confidence and doubt however, do not undermine your team by questioning the decision you all made before the project even gets started. And do not use a decision as a substitute fraction. Again, obviously once a decision is made the work has only just begun.  Follow through on any decision and, of course, to get any work done people must be assigned tract and rewarded to make sure that that the decision is turned into effective action.

And let us know if we can help you get things done!