The Data Driven Leader

Data is your most valuable leadership asset—here's how to use it

The Data Driven Leader presents a clear, accessible guide to solving important leadership challenges through human resources-focused and other data analytics. This engaging book shows you how to transform the HR function and overall organizational effectiveness by using data to make decisions grounded in facts vs. opinions, identify root causes behind your company’s thorniest problems and move toward a winning, future-focused business strategy. Realistic and actionable, this book tells the story of a successful sales executive who, after leading an analytics-driven turnaround (in Data Driven, this book’s predecessor), faces a new turnaround challenge as chief human resources officer. Each chapter features insightful commentary and practical notes on the points the story raises, guiding you to put HR analytics into action in your organization. 

HR and other leaders cannot afford to overlook the power and competitive advantages of data-driven decision-making and strategies. This book reflects the growing trend of CEOs choosing analytics-minded business leaders to head HR, at a time when workplaces everywhere face game-changing forces including automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. It is urgent that human resources leaders embrace analytics, not only to remain professionally relevant but also to help their organizations successfully navigate this digital transformation. HR professionals can and must:

• Understand essential data science principles and corporate analytics models
• Identify and execute effective data analytics initiatives
• Boost HR and company productivity and performance with metrics that matter
• Shape an analytics-centric culture that generates data driven leaders

Most organizations capture and report data, but data is useless without analysis that leads to action. The Data Driven Leader shows you how to use this tremendous asset to lead your organization higher.

JENNY DEARBORN is the Chief Learning Officer and Senior Vice President at SAP. She is recognized as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology and is an industry thought leader and authority on applying data and analytics to workforce development and human capital transformation. Dearborn is the author of Data Driven: How Performance Analytics Delivers Extraordinary Sales Results.

DAVID SWANSON was most recently executive vice president of human resources for SAP SuccessFactors. He has over 25 years of experience in global technology companies. He is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist on the future of HR, focusing on how human resources can impact business through analytics and big data.

Acknowledgments xiii

Preface xv

Chapter 1: Playing the Blame Game 1

Chapter 2: Leading with Business Outcomes 25

Chapter 3: Starting with Analytics 49

Chapter 4: Early Discoveries 83

Chapter 5: Diagnosing What’s Wrong 111

Chapter 6: The Road Ahead 147

Chapter 7: Results Win Support 175

Essential Reading 199

References 223

About the Authors 229

Index 231

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.