21887 People Analytics
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2021 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 3 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
HR Analytics is one of the fastest-growing employment and topic areas in the contemporary practice of Human Resource Management. This subject equips students with advanced analytical and critical evaluation skills to successful navigate HR challenges using data. Students in the subject complete a substantial work-based project that utilizes learnt HR analytics skills.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | analyse emerging human resource management issues and challenges as they present in the workplace |
|---|---|
| 2. | implement appropriate analytical tools and techniques to enhance human resource management operations and opportunities |
| 3. | communicate analytical outcomes in a meaningful and non-technical way for a broad business audience |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
By engaging with the subject activities students will develop analytic acumen by learning to use critical judgment and specialised human resource management expertise to carefully assess the quality of data being collected, to contextualise and make sense of analyses. Students will also be required to illustrate the ability to apply specialised human resource knowledge to tell a clear and cohesive story with data in order to support critical business decisions and actions. At the completion of the subject, students will possess a toolbox of analytical techniques that they can deploy to resolve challenges through data interrogation and meaning extraction.
This subject also contributes specifically to develop the following Program Learning Objectives for the Master of Human Resource Management:
- Apply critical thinking skills to formulate options and justify inventive solutions to inform decision making that responds to organisational, Indigenous and professional needs (2.1)
- Apply advanced professional knowledge and technical skills within specialised human resource management practice (5.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject will comprise a face-to-face component that is complemented with online activities and resources. The online resources will equip students with background knowledge and data analysis practice opportunities. A series of self-assessment modules will provide students with formative feedback. The self-assessment modules aim to draw together related parts of the course to help students make connections between topics in people analytics and to promote a deeper learning strategy whilst providing timely feedback and reinforcement. The face-to-face component will enable students to explore analytical techniques in a classroom setting and involve peer learning and support from the academic delivery personnel.
Before class: The subject presents a number of problem-based enquiry tasks which require students to deploy the resources available to them (previous knowledge, new knowledge, ideation through peers and teaching staff) to resolve. To achieve this, prior to entering class for focussed learning episodes, students undertake background reading (which are available on the online learning management system), as well as online activities, in preparation for classroom learning. Students also engage in online discussions using online e-communication tools (such as email and discussion boards) to communicate with the teaching staff and peers. Through this communication, students articulate and expand upon their existing learning, and seek help to resolve challenges.
During Class: The class will be delivered in a workshop-like format, where analytical frameworks, templates and examples will be explored. Each class will present a pressing people management analytics challenge, and the class content will scaffold the micro-skills necessary to overcome the challenge. Towards the end of the course of study, students will also bring their own workplace analytics scenario to class to resolve.
Assessment: The two assessment tasks seek to scaffold students’ data analytics learning in a phased approach. The first assessment item confirms an understanding of the knowledge and skills students need in order to succeed in the field of people analytics. This is achieved through a series of class preparation activities. The activities seek to establish a students capacity to leverage data to make better informed (data-driven) people decisions. Decisions which in the end drive better outcomes for both the business and employees. The second assessment task requires students to undertake an individual, advanced people analytics project. Through navigating complexity within data through learnt analysis techniques, students are required to explain and justify the process and outcomes they produced. The second assessment item is authentic, in that it reflects the analytic skills necessary to thrive in a data-driven Human Resource Management role. Thus, this item is designed such that students can add the final outcome to their career portfolio and deploy in a process of career development in the real world.
Content (topics)
- Using data to inform HR decisions
- Sources, ownership, and quality of data
- HR Analytics Maturity model
- Building an HR analytics project
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Class Preparation Activities (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2 and 3 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 60% |
| Criteria: | The criteria used to assess student performance includes:
|
Assessment task 2: Workplace-Related Data Analytics Project (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2 and 3 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% |
| Criteria: | The criteria used to assess student performance includes:
|
Minimum requirements
Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.
Required texts
Highly recommended text:
Khan, N. & Millner, D. 2020, Introduction to People Analytics : A Practical Guide to Data-driven HR, Kogan Page Ltd, London.
EAN: 9781789661828
In addition to the above text journal articles and other book chapters are also used in this subject. A full list of the seminar readings is available on Canvas.
Recommended texts
Students interested in pursuing more in-depth information regarding people analytics will find links to additional readings, organised in sections around module content on Canvas. The additional reading material addresses current issues and events and represents a wide-ranging compendium of people analytics, with formats including both research studies and industry commentary.
References
Adams, L. 2017, HR: Disrupted, Practical Inspiration Publishing, UK.
Bauer, T., Erdogan, B., Caughlin, D. & Truxillo, D. 2019, Human Resource Management: People, Data, and Analytics, SAGE Publications, Inc., US.
Camm, J.D & Cochran, J.J. 2019 Busines Analytics 3 edn, Cengage Learning, US.
Edwards, M. & Edwards, K. 2019, Predictive HR Analytics: Mastering the HR Metric, Kogan Page Ltd, UK.
Fitz-enz, J & Mattox, J.R. 2014, Predictive Analytics for Human Resources, John Wiley & Sons, USA.
Waters, S.D., Streets, V.N., McFarlane, L. & Johnson-Murray, R. 2018, The Practical Guide to HR Analytics?: Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), USA.
The following academic journals are likely to prove relevant and useful for this subject:
- Academy of Management Journal
- Academy of Management Review
- Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources
- Cyberpsychology and Behavior
- Harvard Business Review
- Human Resource Management
- Human Resource Management Review
- Human Resource Planning
- Industrial Relations Journal
- International Journal of Human Resource Management
- International Journal of Information Management
- International Journal of Manpower Studies
- International Journal of Workplace Health Management
- Journal of Applied Business and Economics
- Journal of Applied Psychology
- Journal of Industrial Relations
- Journal of Management
- Journal of Managerial Issues
- Journal of Managerial Studies
- Journal of Wolrd Business
- Labour Economics
- Organization Development Journal
- Personnel Review
- Personnel Psychology
- Strategic HR Review
- Work & Stress
The above journals can be obtained from the UTS Library Electronic Fulltext Databases: www.lib.uts.edu.au/databases/search_databases.py
Other resources
Canvas is an integrated teaching and learning component of this subject. As a UTS student you will be required to become familiar with this software. In this subject, Canvas will be used for the following purposes:
- as a noticeboard for announcements relating to the subject
- as a one-to-many or one-to-one communication tool between staff and students and among students
- as a discussion board for open discussion of ideas relating to the subject
- to provide subject support materials such as the subject outline and lecturer’s PowerPoint presentation slides
- to provide external links to useful web pages
- as a subject feedback tool.