The Data Driven Leader

PREFACE

In today’s workplace, the pace and nature of change are simply unprecedented. So much of what we know about jobs and work is shifting beneath our feet due to powerful forces like robotics, big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, the sharing economy, the gig economy, and others. World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab calls this the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with technologies so transformative that they are challenging what it means to be human.¹

It is urgent that we human resource professionals step up our game in response, and effectively prepare for the future. With 47 percent of jobs currently performed by humans potentially eliminated as early as 2030² (or 50 percent of work activities disposable right now, according to a more dire prediction³), we must change the way we think and work. Our profession has evolved from administrative experts in Personnel or Industrial Relations to today’s top CHROs—key executives driving measurable business performance. We are encouraged by our collective progress, but also know that HR has much further to go.

Embracing data analytics is key to advancing as a profession and successfully transitioning our organizations into the future. Josh Bersin, a foremost HR thought leader, identifies people analytics as a top HR development: “This new function is critically important and of very high value—just as marketing departments analyze the results of campaigns, create personas and segments of the customer population, ...