Data Analytics - My Ultra Marathon Running
People Analytics has become, especially in the Disruptive Economy, a real game changer in how we identify, assess, retain and develop talent.
While I was researching this blog it occurred to me that I was already using data analytics to help improve my running, both during training and, more importantly, during my Ultra marathon races.
Sadly, I am not really built for running long trail races nor do I have a natural running gait. However, I love running and I love the outdoor nature of an ultra-marathon challenge. My problem is that I am highly competitive and needed to change my approach to training and racing if I didn’t want to come last in every race!
Now everything about my running is meticulously planned – my inner geek just couldn’t help it. From my training data (heart rate zones, periodization, Stride rate, Power Efficiency (%) Pace Power Ratio (%), Vertical Oscillation, Stride Length, etc.) all the way to my race day strategy (weather conditions, hourly nutrition, pacing, equipment, etc.), it is all mapped out.
The outcomes have been pretty good – fewer injuries in training, top 10% finishes and generally more enjoyment/less pain while racing 75 km + ultras.
Dramatic Uptake In People Analytics
What about analytics in talent management? Until a few years ago, there were only a few companies, like Google, who used people analytics to help manage their staff and create innovative and loyal workforces. In turn, their position in their respective industries soared.
Now, far more companies are using people analytics to improve their management of teams, and to build a better workforce to compete with their rivals.
Why Google Started To Use People Analytics
The major issue with most feedback tools in the current market is the lack of honesty between the employee and the employer. One particular survey found that 48% of managers believed employees did not answer employee surveys honestly. In the same survey, only 31% of managers believed surveys offered an accurate assessment.
Many argue this is because employees feel obliged to answer surveys more positively than they really feel. Therefore, results are skewed and never show a realistic view of what’s going on in a business. Another problem is that employee engagement can be very low, even as low as 13%. Those that do complete feedback are often the more positive employees.
Google saw these problems and made significant changes. Their People Operations team, formerly known as HR, use feedback to optimize processes and align them within their unique culture. As a result, there is a 90% participation rate in employee surveys.
Part of Google’s success is the way they mix quantitative and qualitative data together to ensure leaders get an inside look into the inner-culture dynamics. Then they use this data to make significant decisions to improve the business.
One such example of this was Project Oxygen. This was the testing of whether Google could function with a flatter hierarchy and remove middle management.
Project Oxygen analysed managers’ performance ratings and upward feedback collected through employee surveys. These were compared to productivity data to determine which characteristics made a great manager.
From this the team conducted more tests to show that mid-level managers were essential to the success of the company. But only if they followed certain behaviours. These top eight behaviours were turned into a guide for leaders in the company so they had a better understanding of what was expected of them, and they had benchmarks to aspire to.
How Can You Use People Analytics In Your Business
If you want to be as successful as some of the big companies, you’ll want to embrace the people analytics trends. Many businesses are now adopting people analytics to improve their employer brand. Here are several ways you might go about it in your business
1. Recruitment
Have you ever had a bad hire in your organization? Almost every hiring manager has made a bad recruitment decision. The cost of this can be substantial, with some surveys suggesting the recruitment cost for a bad hire is 30% of an employee’s first year earnings.
The problem is the vast amounts of data that can seem unrelated when you’re hiring. But that’s where people analytics can help. The data collected from applicants can be analyzed by software to identify key applicants and filter out those with data similar to those who weren’t a good hire. This can help your business choose better when hiring. I have recently discovered ThriveMap and it’s looking rather promising.
2. Training
Training is essential to every employee in the business. New skills should be learnt for better productivity and more efficiency. However, analysing the benefits for the business can be harder.
People analytics can change this by offering cost/benefit analysis to your organisation for every course and employee.
3. Employee Performance
Big data in HR is usually used to analyse the performance of employees. With people analytics, this is no different, but it allows you to go much deeper.
Work can be analysed in real-time and feedback given immediately.
In addition, employee performance can now be measured with qualitative information. Notes can be added to the system that can explain changes in behaviour or help managers make more informed decisions.
People analytics can also determine what work is best for certain employees, so managers can direct their staff to doing tasks they are better at.
4. Employee Retention
Once you’ve got a good team of people you’ll want to keep them. Rehiring is expensive and disruptive to your bottom line. And it doesn’t take much to lure away some of your key staff; research has found just a 1% increase in salary can be enough to encourage some to move.
People analytics can sift through data that at first looks unrelated but highlight issues that may result in a key member of staff leaving. Leaders can then look at ways to manage these issues and keep their staff.
Is Analytics a Fad?
I sincerely hope not as I don’t see another way for me to sustain or improve my ultra-marathon strategy!
On the business front I totally see the benefits of people analytics (excluding any data privacy issues, which is another topic altogether). It’s no surprise then that I believe it’s a growing trend that will be here to stay and needs to be embraced. People Analytics has tremendous potential to help your business improve its profitability by improving the performance of talent acquisition, development and a company’s overall culture.
