Prasad Setty on

Building a Data-driven Approach to HR

Course Workbook

Building a Data-Driven Approach to Human Resources

Section 1: Welcome to the Course

Intro Exercise: Introduce Yourself and Share Your Interest in the Course (Padlet Board)

Section 2: Building a Data-Driven Approach to Human Resources

1. Human Resources and Data Science: Apply People Analytics to Your Organization
(Lecture 4) 3

2. Fundamentals of People Analytics: Reflect on Your Human Resource Decisions

(Lecture 5) 4

3. Collecting Data for HR: Map the Talent Flow in Your Organization (Lecture 7) 5

4. Collecting Data for HR: Develop Your Own “Googlegeist” Survey to Assess the 6
Health of Your Organization (Lecture 7)

5. Collecting Data for HR: Develop a Survey to Map Your Talent’s Goals and How You
7 can Support Them (Lecture 7)

6. Complementing Human Decisions with Data: Design a Framework to Assess Your

Talent (Lecture 9) 8

Section 3: The Science of Great Teams

7. Building Great Teams: Team Effectiveness Discussion Guide (Lecture 11) 10

8. Diagnostic Tool for Teams: Respond to the Results of Your Team Diagnostic 11
(Lecture 12)

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9. Creating Psychological Safety: Plan Manager Actions for Psychological Safety
(Lecture 13) 12

Section 4: Data on Great Managers

10. Effective Managers: Customize Google’s New Manager Training (Lecture 15) 13

11. Managing People in Social Enterprises: Assess the Needs of Your Team to be a
Great Manager (Lecture 16) 14

Section 5: Influencing Behavior with Data

12. Data to Influence Behavior Change: Plan to Act Based on Your Data Findings 16
(Lecture 18)

13. Key Takeaway- Data for Fairness: Reflect on People Analytics for Your Work 17
(Lecture 19)

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 Prasad Setty, VP People Operations at Google

Building a Data-Driven Approach to Human Resources

In today’s competitive knowledge economy, a company’s ability to attract, retain and
develop talent is critical. People Analytics uses data to advance how organizations make
decisions about human resources based on evidence rather than intuition.

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Prasad Setty leads the People Analytics team at Google and is a pioneer in this field. In this
course, he’ll offer you a behind-the-scenes look at how Google conducts groundbreaking
research to distill the characteristics of the most effective teams and managers.

“
A lot of the work we did in people analytics was to help me become a better manager.
-Prasad Setty

1. Human Resources and Data Science

Apply People Analytics to Your Organization

In lecture 4, Prasad talks about the importance of

data-informed human resources decisions. During the
course, you will be applying the concepts he presents
to either a real-life organization or a hypothetical one
you might like to run in the future. For the first activity,
describe the organization you work for, lead, or would
like to start, and describe it. Include data collection
methods you currently use and how you make human
resource decisions in your organization- how are
people rated in order to be hired, promoted or fired?

Organization Name and Type:

Mission of the organization:

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Current Data Collection Methods:

“
People Analytics is about helping organizations make better people decisions.
-Prasad Setty

2. Fundamentals of People Analytics

Reflect on your Human Resource Decisions

In lecture 5, Prasad Setty explains what people

analytics consists of and provides examples of how
it is used in the Google hiring process. Think about
your organization and some of the information gaps
that could be filled by using data. Are you using
data to assess the flow of people in your
organization and their performance? What
decisions could be optimized by creating indicators,
collecting data and evaluating it?

What HR decisions could be optimized in your organization?

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 “
Any entrepreneur who thinks the culture of the organization is important, should think about
people analytics.
-Prasad Setty

3. Collecting Data for HR

Map the Talent Flow in Your Organization

In Lecture 7, Prasad describes 3 “lenses” through

which you should view the flow of people within your
organization (1) hiring (2) onboarding (3) employee
experience and departing employees.

For this exercise, complete a 3-column chart that

maps the flow of people through your organization.

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What are the key steps in employee experience—from when they first apply to when they leave the
organization? What data do you currently collect about each step in the process? What key
question do you want to answer with this data?

Step in Talent Flow Data We Currently Have Question I Want to Answer or

Decision I Want to Make

Ex: application to an open
position
Ex: # of applicants who apply
Question: Do more women
than men apply to our roles?
Of the applicants who apply,
what is the gender ratio of
people who get interviews?
Does this reveal any gender
bias in our hiring process?

“
We literally want every googler to talk to us about their experience at Google.
-Prasad Setty

4. Collecting Data for HR

Develop Your Own “Googlegeist” Survey to
Assess the Health of Your Organization

In Lecture 7, Prasad suggests developing a survey to get

a snapshot of the “health” of your organization. The
results should reflect how people feel about their work,
achievements, the organization’s priorities, their

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coworkers and personal development. At Google, they call it a “Googlegeist” survey; other
organizations call them “pulse” surveys. Look at your talent flow and develop a set of 10 questions to
that will give you insight into people’s experiences. Reflect on how you could use this information and
who you need to share it with.

Your “Googlegeist” survey

Ex. Do you agree with the following statement: Diverse types of people (i.e. different backgrounds,
ages, or opinions) are able to work well together at this company?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

“
It’s very important to understand what every single person in the organization wants to do
and how you can help them get there.
-Prasad Setty

5. Collecting Data for HR

Develop a Survey to Map Your Talent’s Goals
and How You can Support Them.

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In Lecture 7, Prasad talks about how important it is to know about people’s life goals and find ways to
help people achieve them. By doing so, you will be able to retain top talent and engage people
who need more engagement. Following the “Googlegeist” survey, design a 5-question survey to ask
people at your organization about their career projections, personal ventures and how your
organization can contribute to their goals. Then reflect on how you can use this data. Who will you
share it with at your organization?

The life goal survey

Ex. Does your manager give you the opportunity to try new things which align with your career goals?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How can your organization support these goals? Who will you share this information with?

“
One of the things I’ve learned in my career in People Analytics is that data should lead to
action, and not to the production of more data.
-Prasad Setty

6. Complementing Human Decisions with Data

Design a Framework to Assess Your Team Members

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In Lecture 9, Prasad discusses the importance of understanding data as a means, not an end. Data
should inform human decisions so they can be made as objectively as possible, but humans should
make the final decision and implement them. The following activity seeks to align individuals with
organizational goals and brainstorm some metrics to build a People Analytics Framework. Please
state your organizational goal, the activities for three of the individuals in your organization, the
measurable outputs they produce and a set of other metrics that can rate success in each of their
positions. For example:

Improve health and water quality conditions in targeted communities

Organizational Goal:

Plan, budget, oversee and document projects. Work with upper

Individual Activities: management and other departments to agree on scope, direction
and cadence of project.

# Of project plans completed

Outputs # Of projects approved
# Of projects implemented
# Of water related diseases reported

Communication
Other Metrics Leadership
Order
Negotiation
Risk assessment

Organizational Goal:

Individual Activities:

Outputs

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Other Metrics

Organizational Goal:

Individual Activities:

Outputs

Other Metrics

Organizational Goal:

Individual Activities:

Outputs

Other Metrics

“
Team dynamics trump team composition.
-Prasad Setty

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 ”

7. Building Great Teams

Team Effectiveness Discussion Guide

In Lecture 11 we learn about Project Aristotle, where

Google found that team behavior (how people make
decisions, how they solve conflict etc.) has more
impact on team success than the composition of the
team. They identified five main categories to
diagnose teams and created a tool to assess the
status of teams in these categories. Please use the
tool to assess your team according to each of the
categories and note how you could quantify the
results in order to make a diagnosis and track
progress.

Psychological Safety

Dependability

Structure and Clarity

Meaning

Impact

How can you track progress in each of these

areas?

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 “
Once people have gone through the G-Team diagnostics,
they become better team players, even in other teams.
-Prasad Setty

8. Diagnostic Tool for Teams

Respond to the Results of Your Team Diagnostic

In Lecture 12, Prasad offers Google’s strategy to deal with

team deficiencies identified through data diagnostics.
Google encourage team conversations, designs support
courses and has specialized coaches to accompany
these processes. However, every organization should
adapt this strategy to their needs and assets. In this
exercise, please analyze how your case differs from
Google’s and what approach you can take.

How Does your organization

differ from Google in terms of
needs and resources?

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How can your organization
respond to some of the group
failures identified through the
team diagnostic?

“
More important that the frameworks you use, is the licence you provide for your team to
open up and create psychological safety.
-Prasad Setty

9. Creating Psychological Safety

Plan Manager Actions for Psychological Safety

In Lecture 13, Prasad emphasizes the difficulty and

importance of Psychological Safety in the workplace.
He shares the story of Project Wing, where the Captain
of Moonshots allows his team to imagine all the things
that could go wrong and plan in advance how they
could react to each outcome. For this activity, please
review Google’s guide to create Psychological Safety
and think of a strategy you could implement in your
organization.

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How can you increase Psychological Safety in your organization?

“
People join great organizations but they leave bad managers.
-Prasad Setty

10. Effective Managers

Customize Google’s New Manager Training

In Lecture 15, Prasad talks about how Google tries to

maximize efficiency and avoid bureaucracy in
management. Project Oxygen was an attempt to
define a good manager. After 18 months of research,
they found 8 common behaviors of highly successful
managers and developed indicators to rate them.

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 Please reflect on these indicators, whether they apply
to your organization and adapt them as needed.
Then have members of your organization rate
management with this tool or do it yourself as a
reflection exercise. More information from Google's
New Manager Training Slides.

Good Coach

Empowers Team- no micromanaging

Expresses Interest in Team member’s Success

and Well-being

Is productive and results-oriented

Is a good communicator

Supports career development

Clear vision/strategy for team

Has important technical skills

“
Most of us manage people in the way we want to be managed rather than the way they want
to be managed.
-Prasad Setty

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 11. Managing People in Social
Enterprises
Assess the Needs of Your Team to be a Great
Manager

In lecture 16, Prasad highlights the importance of

managers knowing the needs of the people they
manage. Some people need more help, others
reassurance, some want to have buy-in and others
more independence. Everyone can shine, they just
need to be managed in different ways. Your job as a
manager is to help people succeed and to be a tie-
breaker when decisions need to be made. In the next
activity, please analyze the different needs of three
different team members in your organization. Example:

Name: Kweku Assana

Kweku is very social and proactive. He likes to share his work with his peers before
Needs:
he presents it to management, and present it to management before it is

implemented or presented to people outside the organization. He also likes to

listen to his peers for inspiration and give his feedback, as a form of contributing.

Kweku would benefit from a manager who gives him food for thought, allows him

to collaborate with his peers, provides the necessary space for him to develop his

ideas, and validates his work.

Name:

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Needs:

Name:

Needs:

Name:

Needs:

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 Actions based on People Analytics can be divided in three areas: changing mindsets and
behaviors, policy changes and process redesign.
-Prasad Setty

12. Data to Influence Behavior Change

Plan to Act Based on Your Data Findings

In Lecture 18,
Prasad
describes
three main
areas of
action based
on People
Analytics:
behavioral
change,
policy change
and process
redesign. According to him, you must be a good
communicator to spark behavioral change (what do you
want people to know, feel and do?). He provides
examples of policy changes and process redesign based
on data. Finally, he concludes that good managers are
those who value feedback, are transparent and use data
to act. Please reflect on what actions you could take
based on People Analytics.

Change Mindsets and Behaviors

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Policy Changes

Process Redesign

“
One of the key attributes that anyone looks for in their employment experience is that
decisions are made with fairness and rigor.
-Prasad Setty

13. Key Takeaway: Data for Fairness

Reflect on People Analytics for Your Work

In Lecture 19, Prasad makes the argument that basing

Human Resources decisions on data and standardizing
criteria for assessing teams and individuals is a matter of
fairness and respect. Measuring all people with the same
tool has been a heated debate in education for a long
time. Please reflect on the possible positive and negative
contributions of People Analytics on your organization, the
sector that you work in, and the workforce overall.

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Is People Analytics appropriate for your organization?

If you would like to share your thoughts, please post them in this padlet board

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