Quantifying Human Resources

Conclusion

The conclusion of this book is divided into two parts. The first part (section C.1) makes it possible to reproduce in a more summative form the progression of each chapter and the overall purpose. The second part (section C.2) aims to integrate all the elements presented in the book into a proposed framework for the analysis of HR quantification tools.

C.1. Summary of the book

The objective of this book was to provide an overview of the uses of HR quantification, but also of the different discourses and theories held on these uses and tools (Figure C.1).

Thus, the first chapter was devoted to three main uses of quantification. The first element of this chapter was based on a reflection on the statisticalization of reality underlying the quantification tools: quantification of the human being (aptitude tests or performance evaluation) and of work (job classification, for example). Then, the next two elements were articulated around more precise tools. Thus, reporting and dashboards were mentioned as the most common first use of HR quantification, followed by HR analytics – i.e. the use of more advanced statistical techniques to better understand HR phenomena. It was pointed out that these two uses were part of an evidence-based management (EBM) approach, which was more assertive for HR analytics. Then, the increasing use of algorithms and the emergence of the notion of “Big Data” were the subject of the last section of the chapter. The aim has been to give concrete ...