Preface

Most organizations today have mountains of data they use to understand organization processes and customer behavior. Yet the insights the data provide haven’t made organizations themselves more effective. A primary reason is that human resources (HR) and those running the business do not share common approaches or analytical frameworks for identifying critical issues and setting priorities. As a result they often talk past each other. Business leaders are not held accountable for decisions about employees and treat them almost like an afterthought. For HR leaders, essential business outcomes are not exactly an afterthought, but often close to it.

Over its more than thirty-five-year history, the Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California has worked to bridge the gap between research and practice, guided by a careful balance of scientific rigor and pragmatism. During this time there has been a revolution in the tools and information available to us and to our partnering organizations.

Even with all of this information, we find that organizations struggle as much as ever to achieve strategic objectives and improve organizational effectiveness. The purpose of this book is to help decision makers at all organizational levels, in both the business and HR, use analytics more effectively to achieve their goals. The frameworks and advice will help you break out of the traditional mode of uncoordinated analytics and decision making. Applying the tools and lessons provided here should lead to both improved execution of your strategy and increased effectiveness of your organization—if you have the determination and perseverance to develop a plan consistent with this approach and stick with it.