How to Embrace Analytics for Better Decision Making
How many times have you had a sense that there was a problem that needed to be addressed, but you weren’t really sure what the contributing factors were? Or you know that there is an issue in a specific department, but you don’t have the data to back it up? How often are you left making gut-level decisions rather than data-driven decisions?
Effective use of analytics can empower employees at every level of your organization to make better decisions based on data. Here are some steps you can take to create a corporate culture that embraces the use of analytics for more strategic decision making.
Ask questions Analytics can provide you with a wealth of information, but seeing the data for your entire organization can be overwhelming. To get to the information you need, it’s important to ask the right questions – both about the data and what it might indicate. Give yourself and your employees permission to be curious.
Know what you know Take some time to identify the things you already know about your organization. This will help you recognize both pain points and opportunities and allow you to challenge your assumptions about their causes.
Take the bad with the good Your goal in becoming a data-driven company is to see measurable improvement in your business. But to reach that goal, you have to accept what the data tells you – even when it’s not what you want to hear. This is a key step in determining what changes can have the greatest positive impact for your business.
Test and refine One of the greatest benefits of embracing analytics is the ability to test strategies and refine your approach to challenges and opportunities. Select two or three approaches to a problem and give them a try. Then use the resulting data to improve your processes and to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure future success.
Your workforce is one of your greatest strategic assets – and one of your greatest expenses. Analytics provide you with the information and insights you need for better workforce management. From employee pre-hire to retirement, from payroll to time and labor management, Workforce Go! HCM can help you make better, data-driven workforce decisions more quickly. Call us today at 214-800-5575 to find out more.