People Analytics For Dummies

Chapter 10

Activation: Identifying the ABCs of a Productive Worker

IN THIS CHAPTER

Mapping out the patterns that lead to business results

Clarifying your thought processes with the help of models

Using models to activate more workers

Testing fuzzy ideas about people with data

If people were robots, you would simply hire them and they'd do whatever it is they were designed to do for you. The robots would be productive whenever they were turned on, so you'd know that you'd get a certain value return on every robot dollar spent. You can't assume the same about people, however. People can show up and do nothing or do the bare minimum or enthusiastically find ways to make your company run better. People can help you outsmart the competition, or they can keep their mouths shut. The analysis of activation is about whether you’re getting the most out of your people and how you can manage people better.

If you’re analyzing machines, you simply need to understand the basic parameters of those machines, and then you can have near perfect ability to understand, predict, and control the machine's ...