MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How You Can Have More Impact as a People Analyst

Objective distance is overrated. Try getting a little more personal.

I was told recently about a people analytics group that prided itself on its independence. They did not mingle with operations, they never made site visits, and they did not explain their models. They aspired to be the alternative view, uncorrupted by “the way things have always been done.” They reasoned that it’s easier to see things clearly when not down in the muck.

If you spend any time studying decision-making, you know this kind of independence is highly prized. Sources get more weight if they are uncorrelated with other sources. But if you spend time in organizations, you know this approach has a downside, too. In practice, decisions rarely come down to the optimal weights prescribed in a model. For better or worse, in the messy real world of ambiguous evidence and contentious objectives, organizational decisions — especially those about the people you’re hiring, developing, managing, and trying to retain — usually hinge on relationships and trust.