roundtable TALENT & SKILLS - EVOLVING THE STRATEGY
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Michael Woodhall: Whilst we are data-driven in our decisions and we value high quality data and analysis, we do not tend to use “big data” in HR to make predictions or decisions. I think it could be helpful, but I think you have to be very mindful of how you use these techniques, particularly from a diversity perspective.
Ian Dowd: There is a difference between ‘big data’ and ‘shed loads of data’. I do think that big data is more to do with super-computing and all that kind of stuff. My sense is that HR in general is not ready for big data. It’s more how to use the shed load of data that already accumulates through HR transactions. But there’s a real opportunity for data aided decision-making.
sold this much”, a Procurement Director that shows how much they have saved, but when it gets to the HR function, it has a bigger challenge to quantify its input, not it’s worth, but decisions that might need to be made on the basis of it. So bringing in useful data that can be acted upon, an actionable insight - people are more or less engaged, recruitment versus attrition is more complicated, so the challenge of bringing that data to life for decision makers is much more complex.
Charmyn Hall: Agreed, our marketing team are excellent at segmenting data and using that to plan campaigns and address product needs, and in HR, we must use these skills to action the data we gather.
THERE'S THAT DYNAMIC OF THE UN-STRUCTURING OF WORKFORCE, WHERE YOU HAVE MORE CONTINGENT WORKERS AND MORE OF A SUPPLY CHAIN OF EXPERTISE AND TALENT, RATHER THAN A FIXED STRUCTURE. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE LEGAL AND THE EMPLOYMENT POLICIES FRAMEWORKS SHAPE UP TO CATER FOR THIS
can make the same transformation. Right now I think systems are used as an excuse, but any system can be fixed.
Andrew Ward: I think the challenge is asking the right questions. We often act on the back of bold statements about reality as we see it such as, “there’s a skill shortage”, but how well do we really understand the problem? What does that statement really mean, where is it and what skills are we missing?
Anne Comber: You have to get under the data. the data is useful, it’s an indicator, but on it’s own it doesn’t tell a story. HR has a valuable role to play in that.
Andrew Ward: I can do correlation analyses all day long if I have the underlying data and I come back to that point about competency frameworks. If there’s no competency framework and no one is measuring skills I’m going to struggle. I agree with all the things you are suggesting in terms of equipping managers to be far more skilled and to be more proactive but I think one of our key challenges as a profession is to build the raw materials that allows that to work. We can start looking at demographics but what do we mean by skill? How do you know you’ve got a skills gap if you can’t describe it.
Michael Woodhall: The main challenge for our organisation is not data around current performance or ability, it’s the “one foot in today, one foot in tomorrow” scenarios - identifying the skills you are going to need in five or ten years' time is a major challenge, and reviewing historical data and making predictions off of the back of that, maybe less helpful than something that can help you assess future trends.
Andrew Ward: I think that’s a real risk, you are driving via the rear view mirror. So I think it doesn’t have to be only backwards looking, it can always be predictive and it can also test, again you need the language, what was the outcome and how are you defining what that outcome looks like. Experimentation is crucial and I think data is a crucial way to test whether it works or not.
Ian Dowd: At board level, you get a Sales Director who goes into a board meeting and says “I have
18 thehrdirector SEPTEMBER 2016
Sonya Alexander: I concur with that too, and going back to the workforce planning, it is about the type of data and insights that we are seeking to gather and review against the key questions we are trying to answer. As well as the close relationship needed between HR, Finance, Marketing and IT to help pull together the holistic data set for a complete insight into future plans and what the potential capability gap might be. It’s about working collaboratively with these departments to better understand our current and changing business, markets and labour landscapes.
Jane Nicholson: We are great at big data, as you can imagine being a Government department, but our issue is the validation of that data as well and underpinning what that actually means. It's the sensible and insightful interpretation of the data where I think we fall down.
Sonya Alexander: There's often a lot of activity generating a lot of data versus thinking about the questions we are trying to answer. We should focus our data sets on what we are trying understand and to review the hypotheses we set ourselves, aligned to business strategy.
Ian Dowd: It's important to ascertain whether systems are keeping up with the demand for better analysis of data and decision-making, are they a facilitator or a blocker, a help or a hindrance?
Mito Mackin: For me it’s not the function of the system but a function of the will. Do you want to make it happen? If we have the will in HR, if we
FOR FURTHER INFO
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