HR DATA LABS - S01/EP2:
Integrating Statistical Expertise into HR Data
This episode is special as my guest is a very old friend, colleague and former manager. Dr. Dawn H Nicholson’s background as a consultant, practitioner, executive and now a PhD lecturer is especially important based on the topic we are covering: “Integrating Statistical Expertise into HR Data.”
I hope you enjoy this episode and I am looking forward to your input and feedback.
Welcome back to the HR Data Labs Podcast, your one-stop-shop for everything happening in People Analytics today. Today’s guest is Dr. Dawn H Nicholson. Dr. Nicholson is a former HR practitioner, consultant and executive. Now she is a Lecturer in Business and Organisational Psychology at University of Kent, with over 28 years of organizational experience working in London in Financial and Professional services, with a passion for helping people make better choices.
Let’s jump right into this episode and work with Dr. Nicholson to expose the lies in statistics and challenge the sophistication of HR.
[00:01 – 05:28] Opening Segment
- Let’s get to know Dr. Dawn H Nicholson
- Dr. Nicholson gives us a bit of background on her story
[05:29 – 08:53] Lies in Statistics; Properly Analysing Data
- Dr. Nicholson talks about the issues in HR and how significant data was used to drive decisions
- How Dr. Nicholson went about making better decisions using meaningful statistics
[08:54 – 11:57] Causation vs. Correlation
- Dr. Nicholson speaks about the difference between causation and correlation and how to spot them
- What people can do to not misunderstand the information they’re presented with
[11:58 – 16:24] Story Telling
- Tips and suggestions to telling a good story around statistics and data
- What are they really asking for – the why behind the question
[16:25 – 18:15] Closing Segment
- Summary of our conversation
- Final Words
- “Something has to change sufficiently for it to be considered a significant difference, and it is only through knowing and learning about statistics in the last six years that I understand that concept of significance.” – Dr. Dawn H Nicholson
- “Don’t be afraid to say… ‘hey, is this really about causation? Can you really tell me categorically that statistic is a causal statistic rather than, really… the relationship between greater diversity to profitability.” – Dr. Dawn H Nicholson
- “Data is there to serve a purpose, but it should be questioned, it should be interrogated, and it should be challenged.” – Dr. Dawn H Nicholson
In this show we cover topics on Analytics, HR Processes, and Rewards with a focus on getting answers that organizations need by demystifying People Analytics.
