Editorial
Today's workplaces are flooded with data: dashboards track real-time performance, reports analyze trends and metrics measure every conceivable outcome. With so much information at our fingertips, you’d think decision-making would be simple and data-driven. Unfortunately for people analytics leaders like myself, even the most comprehensive, visually stunning report can land with a thud if it doesn’t speak to its audience.
More data doesn’t automatically mean more impact. Beautiful dashboards and massive reports can check every box for completeness, only to disappear into the inbox void. Presentations are technically sound, but don’t drive action.
To drive adoption and impact, we need to design data products that meet each stakeholder where they are. To do this, we shifted our approach to start with people, design for use and build relationships so our data storytelling has a more powerful impact.
People Analytics Impact Starts With People, Not Data
Analysts often wrestle with a tension: provide every detail to cover all possible questions, or focus only on the employee data insights stakeholders need to act. That balancing act feels even trickier with a lean people analytics team. How do we deliver timely insights while ensuring we’ve done our due diligence?
Instead of leading with the data, we now begin with conversations: What decisions are leaders facing? What questions are on their minds?
By pulling from stakeholders first, we can shape insights tailored to their highest priority at the moment. Relationships improve adoption: people are more likely to use tools they feel were built for them.
Design Dashboards for Use, Not Completeness
Early on, our team tried a “push” approach by widely sharing large, detailed reports. The reports were technically robust but didn’t specifically connect to what anyone was trying to solve. Adoption was low because the workforce reports didn’t feel designed for user needs.
We’ve since shifted toward persona-based dashboards and reporting. These views focus on the metrics that matter most to a particular group, co-created with stakeholders who know the work best.
Instead of making leaders dig through a sea of information, we provide a clear, relevant view. In practice, that relevance has mattered far more than having an exhaustive list of metrics. Early signs show higher utilization and stronger adoption.
Why Relationships Drive People Analytics Adoption
Self-service dashboards have helped us scale with a small people analytics team. Frequent users get what they need without waiting on us. But access alone doesn’t guarantee adoption.
People still ask basic questions and we step in to help them interpret results. That’s where relationships become critical since we have built the social capital to be relied upon.
We previously had a scheduled rotation of deep-dive reviews across the organization. While thorough, this “push” approach didn’t always meet leaders where they were or provide workforce insights when they needed them.
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We’ve since moved away from the schedule and toward partnership-driven “pull” analysis. By focusing on relationships, we can deliver insights when they matter most and in a way that builds trust.
Where People Analytics Goes From Here
At the end of the day, people analytics isn’t about flooding inboxes with more data. It’s about creating impact through insights that are timely, relevant and designed in partnership. When we start with people, design for use and treat relationships as part of the work, data storytelling shifts from “just another dashboard” to a catalyst for better decisions and employee experiences.
For our team, the biggest shift wasn’t technical — it was relational. By treating data as a tool for partnership rather than a product to be delivered, we’ve moved from checking boxes to sparking action.
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