This week on Kodo People Talks, our co-founder Fran Reyes talks candidly with Cole Napper, People Analytics expert and “Directionally Correct” Podcaster, about the new star of the HR world: data. The conversation floats between the definition of People Analytics, why it’s vital for business, why data-driven tools are the future, and the expanse of talent analytics.
Cole Napper makes it clear that his years at successful companies like Toyota, Texas Instruments, and Pepsico, have given him a thorough knowledge of People Analytics and outlines how it’s an integral tool to deal with challenges at any level of the organization. By understanding people, Cole argues, instead of merely attempting to push them into line with the company’s objectives, you can elevate “awareness and engagement” within teams. People analytics measures what makes people happy and tick so they can be better employees and therefore push the company toward greater success.
The discussion turns to the limitations of people analytics at merely the individual level. Fran and Cole discuss Kodo People’s work with Nokia Communications in identifying team performance dynamics that go beyond individual performance, and how this different analysis can yield much more valuable insights. They acknowledge that, despite its name, People Analytics has a wide definition, and that understanding its potential is key to utilizing it to its maximum.
For many companies, data analysis seems an untameable beast, and only the mightiest of warriors (data analysts) can conquer it. However, Cole describes how this misunderstanding can stop companies from taking advantage of the information that they have. The secret weapon of People Analytics is data, and Cole lauds his new company, Orgnostic, for its great implementation of data collection and analysis. By refining and distilling raw data, companies are able to create user-friendly methods of communicating relevant information so that users don’t need experts telling them what the data mean. Utilizing SaaS can be the difference between a quagmire of unordered data and clear guidelines for future company decisions.
It was a pleasure hosting Cole Napper in this episode, and if you’d like to know more of his ideas on the topic he knows best, you can check out the full interview here:
