Partial profile · Book Profile — full narrative profile planned
People Analytics in the Era of Big Data
A practical framework for applying advanced analytics and Big Data across every stage of the talent life cycle to attract, acquire, develop, and retain a high-value workforce.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
People Analytics in the Era of Big Data argues that human capital is the last great competitive differentiator and that the same predictive and advanced analytics techniques that transformed marketing and finance can be applied to talent management. Drawing on the authors' decades of analytics leadership and interviews with dozens of leading organizations (Google, Microsoft, CISCO, SAS, Bloomberg, Pfizer, Xerox, and more), the book provides a Seven Pillars framework and the IMPACT Cycle methodology to move HR from gut-feel decision making to fact-based, forward-looking, business-aligned People Analytics. It shows leaders how to plan their workforce, source and acquire the right talent, onboard and engage employees, manage performance, calculate employee lifetime value, retain top performers, and promote wellness—all while creating measurable business value from talent data.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- An HR leader, hiring manager, or business executive who wants to attract, develop, and retain top talent and become a strategic, data-driven partner.
- The problem
- The organization struggles to source, hire, engage, and retain the right talent in a competitive labor market while drowning in disconnected data and tools. Leaders feel overwhelmed, confused, and uncertain—relying on gut feel and unable to prove the value of talent decisions.
- The plan
- Migrate from business analytics to People Analytics by reframing customer techniques for talent.
- Adopt the Seven Pillars framework across the talent life cycle.
- Apply the IMPACT Cycle to turn data into actionable insight.
- Start small with quick wins, secure executive sponsorship, and align with business goals.
- Build the people, processes, and technology of a People Analytics center of excellence.
- The payoff
- HR becomes a strategic business partner driving measurable ROI. · Lower turnover, better quality of hire, higher engagement, and reduced talent costs. · A workforce that is engaged, productive, loyal, and a competitive advantage.
See our guide
- Study People And Organizations With Scientific Rigor →
- The Behavioral Science Underneath It All →
- Build A People Analytics Function →
- The Four-S Discipline — One System, Four Capabilities →
- Design The Organization And Change It →
- Do Research That Holds Up →
- Design Surveys People Answer Honestly →
- Understand What Drives Individual Performance →
- Do Selection, Assessment And Performance Evaluation Well →
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Additional reading
- Competing on Analytics · Tom Davenport and Jeanne Harris
This book is cited as a foundational text that established the concept of using analytics as a competitive business strategy, which the authors extend from general business to the specific domain of talent.
- How to Measure Human Resources Management · Dr. Jac Fitz-enz
The author is described as 'the father of human capital strategic analysis.' His work published the first HR metrics in 1978, laying the groundwork for the entire field of people analytics.
- Moneyball · Michael Lewis
Used as a key analogy to show how data analytics can revolutionize a field (baseball) traditionally run on intuition, with the implication that People Analytics can do the same for HR.
- The Principles of Scientific Management · Frederick Taylor
Cited as a historical origin point for people analytics, representing the first systematic attempts to measure and improve worker productivity scientifically.
- Finding Keepers · Steve Pogorzelski, Jesse Harriott, and Doug Hardy
Co-authored by one of this book's authors (Harriott), its 'Engagement Cycle' framework is imported and used here to structure the talent management process.