Dr. Lisa Toppin, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Illumina Inc.
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Remember how we used to make decisions? It was based on our gut and not always on data. We have come a long way. Data is informing so much of what is done in business. Decisions are better, and outcomes are more meaningful.
Human resources (HR) is making strides, but we still have work to do. Some of the most important decisions are informed by data, while other decisions that need additional insight don’t consider the power of qualitative data to inform. To lead in all areas of HR, now and in the future, we need to get fully skilled at bringing in data to help guide decisions, making the case for qualitative data when appropriate, and helping leaders leverage the combination in meaningful ways to get to real answers and outcomes.
HR professionals have been on a long journey to fight for a seat at the table. We have fought to overcome the history of personnel—pushing paper. We focused on becoming business experts, trying to prove to our colleagues and counterparts that we knew the business as well as any line leader and thus deserved a seat at the table. While we were learning the business, we focused less on fully honing our chops in leading talent strategy. Being a talent expert is complex as it requires that you understand different talent strategies and when they are best deployed. We face a new challenge: data.
HR leaders now have access to data—people analytics—which requires a skill set of understanding what the data suggests, what it does not, what else to ask and how to ask it. Business partners are going to ask for proof of our suggestions, in other words, to share the data that supports the point of view being offered. Developing the skill set to deliver data analytics as a proof point in decisions is pivotal to our success going forward.
There is a tendency to over-rotate in one direction or the other. HR leaders can lead by bringing balance to understanding and decision-making. Qualitative data has an important role when managing talent, and HR will have to help line leaders understand how to get to its value. Not different than the focus groups we have heard marketing teams host to better understand client/customer experience and feedback, managers have that same opportunity with employees. Employees can offer a score on the engagement survey that indicates some level of trust. Regardless of the score, the answer is in the discussion. Why did employees rate it that way? And, even more importantly, what are they seeing and saying with that rating?
The rating just tells you where to look—it does not tell you what it is. This is a common mistake that leaders make, thinking the numerical capture is the full reflection of what there is to understand. Those scores only tell you that things seem to be going well or not so well, but not why. Examining qualitative data can give a deeper understanding and provide the nuances a number could never offer that might make the difference.
That is why comments in a survey are so helpful, again providing more clues but often not full context. The most powerful thing is talking to the employees to get the full context that a comment cannot offer. For instance, a mechanic runs a diagnostic on a car and the data provided tells her exactly where the problem is. But the thing is, people are not machines. To get to exactly where the problem is, you often have to ask, and that is the power of often underutilized qualitative data.
Part of the role of a well-equipped talent leader is to help the business/line leader know when to use data analytics and when to use qualitative data, or even experience, to guide decisions. Knowing when and how to use both is key. Line leaders anchor in data as that is comfortable. Our role in helping them find comfort, or at least curiosity, in exploring why employees are leaving is central to success. Yes, asking questions could turn up information that is not so desirable, such as they are leaving because of the manager. You may turn up information that says a competitor is significantly winning on compensation and benefits, which will need to be addressed.
What is certain is that you can’t win with employees by only looking at one side of the equation. You have to consider the quantitative and the qualitative, and that is where HR leaders can make the biggest difference. It is scarier to lose the people equation not knowing the full picture than to know and have a shot at winning.
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