At times, it may be difficult for HR leaders to get their entire team on board when it comes to embracing trends in big data and how to effectively tap into it. To increase department heads and their direct reports’ willingness to learn and empower them to take full advantage of the analytical results that have the potential to move business ahead, management can start by demonstrating how much artificial intelligence is improving daily outcomes from the top down.
Once employees become more educated about how they can apply these tools to their own workflow and collaborative assignments, they will be more confident and willing to use these new strategies. Below, 13 Forbes Human Resources Council members share their best practices on how HR managers can help stakeholders openly embrace the advantages that big data trends have to offer.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of individual members1. Highlight The Benefits Of Using Big Data In Your Own Work
You cannot force people to embrace a data-driven decision framework. What you can do is leverage data tools in your own work to drive efficiencies and better outcomes. You may fail at first, but no one will notice. In time, you'll begin to have small successes worthy of sharing with your team, and this proof statement is something your staff will begin to replicate in their own work. - Michael Doonan, SPMB
2. Present It As An Opportunity To Challenge Oneself And Grow
The best way to convince someone to take a chance on a project, give budget approval and open their mind to a different strategic approach is through data. That's why the number of global people analytics teams is growing. One of the best ways to drive change is by using data. Even if you have to start small and grow in your capabilities, it's critical not to wait to take the first step. - Sanja Licina, QuestionPro
3. Utilize It As A Way To Measure And Improve On Outcomes
Data-driven business decisions play a crucial role in business success. Peter Drucker reinforced this with the phrase "What gets measured gets improved." The game-changer comes from partnering with business leaders to identify the most business-relevant data, when to measure it and how to convert it into actionable and predictable data. - Loren Rosario-Maldonado, Cultura, Inc.
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4. Share The Importance Of Predictable Trends And Models
The decisions we make as leaders need to be based on facts and inputs that have predictability and outcomes. We are in a time where people analytics and big data have the potential to solve huge complex problems and it's right at our fingertips. The trend to jump on today is data-based decision making. Whether it's for a small action or a huge transformation, this will be a key skill for every successful HR leader. - Jonathan Reyes, Reejig Corp
5. Frame How Data Improves Hiring And Strengthens Company Culture
Department leaders can share success stories of other companies that are embracing big data trends in HR and staying competitive in the market. Real-life examples can help your staff understand how big data trends can improve hiring decisions and strengthen the culture and success of your team in the long run. - Ahva Sadeghi, Symba
6. Apply Data Input To Support Company Recovery Plans
Whether companies have software or use traditional Excel documents, HR data analysis should be seen as a critical process of analyzing and modeling data to support business decision making. If your business is facing challenges such as high turnover, staff sickness and a lack of planning, leaders must acknowledge areas of improvement and take joint responsibility for the recovery plan. - Nara Ringrose, Aquila Nuclear Engineering
7. Collaborate With Frontline Team Members To Pique Interest
Change is difficult for most people. Regularly exemplify how to leverage data within day-to-day processes, meetings and interactions as adoption should come from the top down. Find value in the frontline perspective and leverage that by collaborating with frontline team members that are passionate about big data trends. Listen to feedback and adjust your approach. Educate the team to make the trends relevant. -Cynamon Voe Scott, DuploCloud Inc.
8. Showcase How Data Aids HR's Value Add And Contributions
As a business partner, HR's strategic plans should be based on the organization's strategic plan. This, in turn, means that our initiatives require metrics and data to validate the success or performance of the strategic outcomes. Therefore, data analytics becomes a value add to HR to showcase their contributions to the organization. - Bridgette Wilder, Wilder HR Management & EEO Consulting
9. Be Transparent And Explain The 'Why'
Technology continues to exponentially change our work environments. Stories abound about how robots may take over the world and change our work environments forever, So transparency in communications with team members is critical. Why are we collecting data? What is it being used for? How will it help us improve our processes and results? Trust your teams by making them full partners in your solutions. - Joseph Soares, IBPROM Corp.
10. Take Advantage Of The Data While It's Available
Data generates knowledge, knowledge generates ideas, ideas generate actions and actions lead to results. If you want to drive results and influence change and direction, data is your friend. You can either embrace the friend and take advantage of them or others will, and you will be left out. - Omar Alhadi, Adobe Care and Wellness
11. Offer Data Training To Empower Your HR Team
Providing business grounding and data training will help ramp up HR teammates to leverage the power of data and recognize the value of logical inputs when making people-analytics-based decisions. The second lever is empowering HR teammates to speak confidently about the role and input of data when making people-driven decisions. - Maria Leggett, AvidXchange
12. Personalize Data Through Scheduled Team Brainstorming Sessions
Host team brainstorming conversations to talk about how data trends could be applied in the work that the team leads and work that external clients lead as well, if applicable. Making data trends more personal will help bring their utility to life. Capture ideas from the conversation and share the information with others, both inside and outside of the organization, to keep the personalization dialogue going. - Megan Leasher
13. Share How Data Helps Determine The Best Strategies
Simply providing the data isn't enough. You need to summarize the data so employees and managers across the organization understand it. You need to explain why the data is relevant and use it to develop strategies and initiatives. Continually tracking and measuring this data can determine successes or failures and help identify when the organization needs to deviate from its original plan. - JacLyn Pagnotta, Allied Partners
