Data in Context

There is a paradigm shift underway in how we think about organizations—in how they operate, create value and grow in this digital, post-pandemic era. As we make this shift, data has emerged as a central component in shaping human capital strategies that address new ways of working and rapidly evolving employee value propositions.

Organizations seek ways to scale their capability in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence while tackling data privacy and ethics issues. These shifts have given rise to various questions about how best to mine, use and protect organizational data.

In this edition of People + Strategy, we take a deep look at data in context. We recognize the enormous breadth of the topic. Data is everywhere and offers infinite potential applications. This can be overwhelming and leave organizations wondering how to make the most of this abundant yet invaluable resource.

As former colleagues and teammates in Google’s People Operations function, we understood then (as we do now) the importance and merit of people analytics in driving business priorities and key decisions. Today, as editorial board members and guides for this special issue on data in context, we asked our authors to demystify data by offering practical examples of how organizations use it to answer critical questions and uncover new ones. Other authors also share perspectives about the dark side of data, including advice on ensuring the responsible and ethical use of data (“data for good”).

As data usage expands exponentially, so does the field of advanced analytics. The practice of people/organization analytics has entered a new stage of maturity as an established practice in academics and established institutions, advanced industries, fast-growth start-ups and consulting firms. We engaged leading thinkers from these domains to share perspectives on how the field has evolved and where things may head. 

The paradigm shift underway brings an exciting opportunity to scale organizational intelligence. While each organization’s journey will be its own, there is tremendous value in sharing and understanding what we’ve tested and learned as a community. We hope that this issue will serve as an impetus to bring us closer together in our quest to realize the enormous potential of data.

We welcome your thinking, insights and stories as fellow learners to advance these conversations.

Enjoy!  

Judith Scimone  is the Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer at MetLife.

Claudy Jules, Ph.D. is Partner at McKinsey & Company.