Building Partnership to Tell Great Stories was a keynote I gave at the Talent Management Alliance Conference in 2013. The topic covered my training approach for helping HR Business Partners learn to leverage the products and services of new analytics teams in HR. A slide deck from a keynote at: The Talent Management Alliance Conference Las Vegas, NV May 2013

1. William Gaker
Building partnership to
tell great stories
William Gaker
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

2. Agenda
The purpose of analytics and the
importance of partnership
helping decision-makers understand analytics
analytical training approach
questions
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

3. William Gaker
The purpose of analytics and
the importance of partnership
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

4. The pool of shared meaning is
the birthplace of synergy
-Kerry Patterson
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

5. Opinion Data Metrics Analytics Meaning
ValuetoStorytelling
The purpose of analysis is to
create a shared meaning that
encourages informed action
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

6. Opinion Data Metrics Analytics Meaning
ValuetoStorytelling
action is possible when
workforce analysts and
HR leaders partner to
understand the story
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

7. The skill sets of decision makers and
analysts are complimentary
!
Collaboration is key to
leveraging analytical insight
!
Decision makers and analysts must understand
each other to collaborate effectively
Business Knowledge Research Knowledge
navigates Political systems navigates information systems
Experience Analytical Skills
Applies insight to
business context
finds insight to
Answer business questions
Decision-
Makers
Workforce
Analysts
Improve Storytelling
through Collaboration
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

8. In order for workforce analysts and
decision-makers to collaborate
effectively, they need to understand
each other’s perspective
Because workforce analytics is a relatively
new field, it is often necessary to help
decision stakeholders understand the
purpose and value of analytics
Improve Collaboration
by leveraging expertise
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

9. William Gaker
Helping decision-makers
understand analytics
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

10. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
Analytical training approach
Encourage curiosity
Help leaders ask great questions
Communicate the value of analytics and the benefits
for the business
Teach the big picture and how leaders fit into the
overall process
Reduce anxiety by relating the unfamiliar to the
familiar
Make the learning process easy to remember and apply
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

11. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
Ask Questions to Tell Stories
Questions
Insight
Workforce
Analytics
Decision
Makers
The purpose of analytics is to answer questions
Analytics is most useful when it answers questions
important to leaders
Workforce analysts should help decision makers ask
the right types of questions
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

12. Data-Oriented
Objective
Testable
Specific
Connect the DOTS
Data-Oriented
!
Research questions need evidence
in order to be answered
!
Asking questions this way helps you
understand what insights to look for
!
Questions that are not data-oriented
usually need to be more specificCopyright 2013 William Gaker

13. Data-Oriented
Objective
Testable
Specific
Connect the DOTS
Objective
!
Great questions do not have
the desired answer built-in
!
It only takes a little re-working to
make a question more objective
!
Make sure the answer to your question has
the possibility of being positive and negative
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

14. Data-Oriented
Objective
Testable
Specific
Connect the DOTS
Testable
!
Great questions allow you to
test your instinct
!
Confirming or disconfirming an educated
guess keeps you focused on the question
and allows you to form a theory
!
Sometimes the greatest learnings happen
when the answer is not what you expectCopyright 2013 William Gaker

15. Data-Oriented
Objective
Testable
Specific
Connect the DOTS
Specific
!
Specific questions focus the insights you are
looking for and make them easier to find
!
Broad questions can usually be
broken down into several specific questions
!
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

16. Data-Oriented
Objective
Testable
Specific
Connect the DOTS
Connect the DOTS
!
Asking great questions will lead you to
insights that create meaning and drive action
!
Connect insights together to answer bigger
questions and build a business case
!
Use these insights to create a narrative that
sparks a sense of urgency
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

17. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
The REsearch process
Ask
Questions
Test a Theory
Collect
EvidenceTell a Story
Check Results
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

18. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
The REsearch process
Step 1:
Ask Questions
Copyright 2013 William Gaker
Curiosity is the foundation of the
entire research process
Leaders can add value to the process
by asking questions
Workforce analysts can add value by
asking questions of their own and
working to answer the questions most
important to leaders

19. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
The REsearch process
Step 2:
Test a theory
Copyright 2013 William Gaker
Asking questions in the context of a
theory structures your thinking about
how to answer your question
Leaders can leverage experience,
intuition, and knowledge of the
business to develop theories
Workforce analysts can add value by
developing theories, testing theories,
and ensuring methodology is robust

20. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
The REsearch process
Step 3:
Collect evidence
Copyright 2013 William Gaker
Evidence is required to discover
insight, answer questions, and
understand your theory
Leaders can unlock access to
information and provide resources to
facilitate data collection
Workforce analysts consult on data
collection strategy, methods, and
structure it to provide insight

21. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
The REsearch process
Step 4:
Check results
Copyright 2013 William Gaker
Analyze the information to get insight
It is crucial to check the results to ensure that
the insight is authentic
Leaders place insight in context to ensure
they align with what is already known
Workforce analysts find insight and can view
results from a different perspective
If results do not make sense, ask more
questions until you fully understand the story

22. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesInsight
Inlsight [in-sahyt]
An instance of
apprehending
the true nature of a thing.
!
Especially through
intuitive
understanding
!
Power of acute
observation
and deduction
An enlightening piece of information that helps
you understand the answer to your question
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

23. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesInsight
Inlsight [in-sahyt]
An enlightening piece of information that helps
you understand the answer to your question
Insight Method One
!
Trends
!
Show how metrics change over time
!
Understand the impact of critical events
!
Inform what you expect to happen next
(forecasting)
!
Demonstrate progress towards strategic goals
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Employee Engagement
Business Performance
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

24. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesInsight
Inlsight [in-sahyt]
An enlightening piece of information that helps
you understand the answer to your question
Insight Method Two
!
Compare Groups
!
Show how groups differ from one another
!
Test the impact of specific variables
!
Customize recommendations
!
Understand sub-group contribution
to overall performance
!
Benchmark business segments
Did Not Receive Training
Received Training
Performance
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

25. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesInsight
Inlsight [in-sahyt]
An enlightening piece of information that helps
you understand the answer to your question
Insight Method Three
!
Advanced Analytics
!
Determine relationships
across multiple variables
!
Understand key drivers of critical outcomes
!
Predicting critical outcomes
!
Linking HR activities to
tangible business outcomes
Voluntary Turnover
Employee Engagement
Performance Feedback
Role Clarity
Advancement Opportunities
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

26. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesInsight
Inlsight [in-sahyt]
An enlightening piece of information that helps
you understand the answer to your question
Insight Method Four
!
Qualitative Analysis
!
Discover themes related to your
question that are difficult to quantify
!
Research a topic in-depth
!
Generate a new theory or hypothesis
!
Explore new ways to think about a question
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

27. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesAnalytical Storytelling
Broad Question
specific
sub-Question
specific
sub-Question
specific
sub-Question
Insight Insight Insight
conclusion (Story)
Break down broad topics into manageable sub-questions
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

28. Ask Questions to Tell StoriesAnalytical Storytelling
Broad Question
specific
sub-Question
specific
sub-Question
specific
sub-Question
Insight Insight Insight
Conclusion (Story)
Integrate insights into a narrative
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

29. Ask Questions to Tell Stories
Comparing stories
Traditional stories Analytical stories
Setting
Characters
Plot
Acts/Parts
Scenes/chapters
Beginning, Middle, End
Org Environment
Stakeholders
Actions
Questions
Insights
Beginning, Middle, End
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

30. Provide an opportunity to apply the content through
group activities
Scenario about a fictional problem that could be
understood with analytics
Have groups come together to understand:
- What questions to ask
- What information is required to know the answer
- How to integrate multiple insights together to form a
story
experiential learning
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

31. A HR leader at your organization is concerned because the CEO
doesn’t seem to believe that HR adds strategic value to the business.
This leader feels that the business would greatly benefit from HR being
a strategic partner and thinks you might be able to provide some data
that helps make a business case for strategic HR.
You notice the next day that your leader has requested a copy of every
single report your team has ever produced and needs it for the big
meeting.
Work together in groups of 5 to discuss:
1. How would you respond to this request?
2. How would you help the leader make the business case for HR?
3. What would you do to help the leader think differently about this?
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

32. Know your audience
Understand the business concerns of your client
Know how the evidence relates to your questions
Integrate the evidence with what you already know
Have a point of view
Before telling your story...
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

33. Let numbers speak for themselves only when they need to
Create a narrative that strikes an emotional chord
Communicate change effectively
Provide context
Remove the fluff: Align the story with your questions
Communicate numbers for the sake of meaning...
Do not communicate numbers for the sake of numbers
Telling your story
Copyright 2013 William Gaker

34. William Gaker?
thank you!
Copyright 2013 William Gaker