People Analytics (PA)

Content

Decision-making is a critical task for HR departments. They not only must handle the onboarding and offboarding of an employee, but are also responsible for optimizing each stage of the employee life cycle and all the processes related to it. Hence, HR experts seek the help of precise data to determine the best course of action. In small companies, information can be easily collected and organized; however, as companies grow, and their number of employee increases, the challenges of managing a larger workforce begins to surface.

Thankfully, technological advancements have brought a new set of tools that HR experts can use to aid their decision making. With the right implementation, companies can measure the effectiveness of their business strategies, optimize resources, and improve the employee experience.

In this context, People Analytics is a new concept that has been established in science and in practice, which comprises of the processes of collecting, analyzing, and reporting relevant HR information to make data-driven decisions.

Transfer of knowledge

People Analytics course is divided in two main parts. The first part comprises of three lectures, that aim to introduce the main terms and the different topics that are subsumed under the term ‘People Analytics’. Furthermore, an insight into the data-driven approaches will also be given, while also taking into consideration the ethical aspects of using AI in the context of HRM.

Part I.

  • Data-driven Human Resource Management (HRM)
  • Fundamentals of Data Science
  • Ethical considerations of People Analytics

Transfer and Application of knowledge (Case studies)

The second part of the course introduces the main pillars of People Analytics, and all the theoretical concepts discussed previously with regard to data science will be applied in practice. Hence, the case studies introduced in each lecture give an insight on how data-driven approaches can be implemented in real life to help HR experts in their decision making.

Part II.

  • Personnel Planning Analytics
  • Sourcing and Acquisition Analytics
  • Onboarding and Performance Analytics
  • Well-being Analytics
  • Turnover Analytics

Implementation of knowledge (project report)

In this course, students will be evaluated via a project report, where they are expected to answer theoretical research questions with regard to the People Analytics pillars introduced in the second part of the lecture.

Furthermore, students are also expected to implement their own data-driven solutions for each of the research questions. Case studies introduced in the lectures serve as a good guidance for this task.

Learning objectives

Students should be able to discuss why People Analytics is an important concept in the context of Human Resource Management, and differentiate between the different pillars of PA.

Furthermore, they should be able to independently implement a People Analytics projects.

Notes

The course is offered completely online, both in the Winter and Summer semesters.

To be able to have access to the course and its materials you should register via the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (vhb).

Lecture materials are offered both in German and in English.

It is recommended that students who attend the course and aim to successfully write the project report, have some elementary knowledge of programming in Python and R. Nevertheless, highly motivated students that wish to gain programming knowledge by following the course are also welcomed, as the case studies are easy to follow.

Dates

Please make sure to submit your project report within the final deadline specified in StudOn.