Information technology and big data are disrupting Human Resource Management (HRM), and People Analytics – an area of HRM practice and research concerned with the use of information technology and data analytics for generating actionable insights and increasing organizational intelligence - is therefore becoming an innovation priority. While in some countries such as the United States, People Analytics is an already tested, results-oriented, and objectively “data-driven” approach, in many other contexts it still represents a promising and cutting-edge innovation. Moreover, despite the growing academic interest in this topic, previous researchers have highlighted a lack of People Analytics studies related to specific contexts. For this reason, we decided to focus on exploring the approaches to using People Analytics in Italy. In particular, by drawing on relevant conceptual frameworks, we aimed to investigate: 1) the benefits (expected and already achieved) as well as the main risks of using People Analytics in the Italian context; 2) how People Analytics technologies/projects used in the Italian context can be applied to specific HRM functions, bringing new opportunities (expected or achieved). We drew on a unique data source - Google Alerts - on People Analytics collected over a 4-year period. Examining 178 news articles identified by Google Alerts, our analysis revealed the prevalence of expected rather than achieved benefits, low consideration of risks in relation to People Analytics, and lack of a concrete representation of how these technologies can be integrated into specific HRM functions. This implies that Italian organizations still face difficulty with fully comprehending the use of big data in the world of HR and its impacts, which is aligned with what has been observed in the broader literature on the adoption of a data-driven management system in Italy. The article provides a list of recommendations and implications from People Analytics for both Italian companies and Human Resources (HR) professionals.
Benefits and risks from People Analytics: Evidence from Italy
Tursunbayeva, Aizhan;Moschera, Luigi
2022-01-01
Abstract
Information technology and big data are disrupting Human Resource Management (HRM), and People Analytics – an area of HRM practice and research concerned with the use of information technology and data analytics for generating actionable insights and increasing organizational intelligence - is therefore becoming an innovation priority. While in some countries such as the United States, People Analytics is an already tested, results-oriented, and objectively “data-driven” approach, in many other contexts it still represents a promising and cutting-edge innovation. Moreover, despite the growing academic interest in this topic, previous researchers have highlighted a lack of People Analytics studies related to specific contexts. For this reason, we decided to focus on exploring the approaches to using People Analytics in Italy. In particular, by drawing on relevant conceptual frameworks, we aimed to investigate: 1) the benefits (expected and already achieved) as well as the main risks of using People Analytics in the Italian context; 2) how People Analytics technologies/projects used in the Italian context can be applied to specific HRM functions, bringing new opportunities (expected or achieved). We drew on a unique data source - Google Alerts - on People Analytics collected over a 4-year period. Examining 178 news articles identified by Google Alerts, our analysis revealed the prevalence of expected rather than achieved benefits, low consideration of risks in relation to People Analytics, and lack of a concrete representation of how these technologies can be integrated into specific HRM functions. This implies that Italian organizations still face difficulty with fully comprehending the use of big data in the world of HR and its impacts, which is aligned with what has been observed in the broader literature on the adoption of a data-driven management system in Italy. The article provides a list of recommendations and implications from People Analytics for both Italian companies and Human Resources (HR) professionals.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
