Big data? Big deal: Searching for big data’s performance effects in HR

Big data continues to gather increasing interest in the business press as well as within the management literature. While this interest has spilled over into the realm of human resources (HR) management, solid evidence of its positive performance impacts is lacking. I explore three possibilities for this lack of evidence: (1) HR possesses big data but largely lacks the ability to use it; (2) HR does not actually possess big data; and (3) big data is generating value for HR and positively affects organizational performance, but the winners in the race to utilize big data in HR are not publicizing their successes. Following this, I discuss current forms of big data implementation, highlighting an evolutionary progression of implementations in various settings and emphasizing the importance of balancing deductive with inductive analytical approaches. Finally, I discuss conditions under which big data may hold greater value for the HR function, and I suggest ways managers and organizations can make the most of big data.     

Implementing big data strategies: A managerial perspective

Despite considerable recent advances in big data analytics, there is substantial evidence that many organizations have failed to incorporate them effectively in their own decision-making processes. Advancing the existing understandings, this article lays out the steps necessary to implement big data strategies successfully. To this end, we first explain how the big data analytics cycle can provide useful insights into the characteristics of the environments in which many organizations operate. Next, we review some common challenges faced by many organizations in their uses of big data analytics and offer specific recommendations for mitigating them. Among these recommendations, which are rooted in the findings of strategy implementation research, we emphasize managerial responsibilities in providing continued commitment and support, the effective communication and coordination of efforts, and the development of big data knowledge and expertise. Finally, in order to help managers obtain a fundamental knowledge of big data analytics, we provide an easy-to-understand explanation of important big data algorithms and illustrate their successful applications through a number of real-life examples.     

Addressing barriers to big data

Increasingly, big data is viewed as the most strategic resource of the 21st century, similar in importance to gold and oil. While sitting on these vast pools of data, many organizations are simply not ready to take advantage of this new strategic resource. Embracing big data requires addressing a number of barriers that fall into the domains of technology, people, and organization. A holistic, socio-technical approach is required to overcome these barriers. This article introduces the specific tactics we recommend for addressing big data barriers, which involve changes to technology infrastructure, a focus on privacy, promotion of big data and analytic skills development, and the creation of a clear organizational vision related to big data.     

Big data dreams: A framework for corporate strategy

The phenomenon of big data—large, diverse, complex, and/or longitudinal data sets—is having a stark influence on organizational strategy making. An increase in levels of data and technological capabilities is redefining innovation, competition, and productivity. This article contributes to both practical strategic application and academic research in the strategic management domain by presenting a framework that identifies how big data improves functional capabilities within organizations, shapes entirely new industries, and is a key component of innovative and disruptive strategies used by learning organizations to diversify and break down barriers of traditionally defined industries. This framework provides an appropriate basis for internal corporate strategy discussions that surround big data investments by explaining how firms create value through various approaches. In addition, we offer guidance for how firms might derive their own big data approach through the merits of aligning data strategy aspirations with data strategy authenticity.     

The role of entrepreneurial marketing in new technology ventures first product commercialisation

This paper sheds light on the importance of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) in the context of new technology ventures (NTVs) first product commercialisation. This study explores the role of EM expressed as the degree of complementarity between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and market orientation (MO) in driving firms’ innovation activities including competence exploration and exploitation in achieving first product performance (FPP). The results of a survey drawn from Indian NTVs identify a significant effect for the complementarity of EO–MO on exploratory and exploitative innovation activities. Furthermore, the findings indicate a positive effect of both exploratory and exploitative activities in enhancing FPP and the contingency role of marketing capabilities (MCs) in enhancing the impact of competence exploration and exploitation in first product commercialisation.     

Corporate social responsibility and employee attitudes: The moderating role of employee age

This study examines the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employee engagement and job satisfaction. Using 322 responses from employees of selected companies in Ghana, and employing hierarchical regression analysis, the study examines the direct impact of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices on employee satisfaction and engagement in organisations. The study further explores the moderating role of employee age on the relationship between CSR and employee engagement and satisfaction. The results provide evidence that economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices influence higher employee engagement and satisfaction levels at work. However, the study finds no evidence of employee age moderating the association between each of the four CSR dimensions and employee job attitudes (engagement and satisfaction). These findings are insightful and provide a response to calls for research on these issues. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that ethical CSR practices strongly influence employees' satisfaction and engagement levels; legal and discretionary CSR activities also have an influence, though to a lesser extent; and the economic dimension of CSR activities has the least impact. The managerial, practical and further research implications of these findings are discussed.     

The questions we ask: Opportunities and challenges for using big data analytics to strategically manage human capital resources

Big data analytics have transformed research in many fields, including the business areas of marketing, accounting and finance, and supply chain management. Yet, the discussion surrounding big data analytics in human resource management has primarily focused on job candidate screenings. In this article, we consider how significant strategic human capital questions can be addressed with big data analytics, enabling HR to enhance overall firm performance. We also examine how new data sources that help assess workforce performance in real time can assist in the identification and development of the knowledge stars that contribute to firm performance disproportionately as well as help reinforce firm capabilities. But in order for big data analytics to be successful in the HR field, regulatory and ethical challenges must also be addressed; these include privacy concerns and, in Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We conclude by discussing how big data analytics can facilitate strategic change within HR and the organization as a whole.     

Big data in an HR context: Exploring organizational change readiness,employee attitudes and behaviors

This research highlights a contextual application for big data within a HR case study setting. This is achieved through the development of a normative conceptual model that seeks to envelop employee behaviors and attitudes in the context of organizational change readiness. This empirical application considers a data sample from a large public sector organization and through applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) identifies salary, job promotion, organizational loyalty and organizational identity influences on employee job satisfaction (suggesting and mediating employee readiness for organizational change). However in considering this specific context, the authors highlight how, where and why such a normative approach to employee factors may be limited and thus, proposes through a framework which brings together big data principles, implementation approaches and management commitment requirements can be applied and harnessed more effectively in order to assess employee attitudes and behaviors as part of wider HR predictive analytics (HRPA) approaches. The researchers conclude with a discussion on these research elements and a set of practical, conceptual and management implications of the findings along with recommendations for future research in the area.     

Retail employee guardianship behaviour: A phenomenological investigation

Supermarkets suffer significant losses as a consequence of shoplifting. Amongst the existing electronic and manual surveillance measures for retail crime management, the role of employees in preventing or controlling retail crime has not been systematically addressed within the extant literature. This paper contributes to addressing this gap by examining how employers’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) involvement influences employee proclivity towards guardianship behaviour in shoplifting prevention. A phenomenological approach is adopted comprising semi-structured interviews of twenty-nine shop-floor employees of two national supermarket chains within a cosmopolitan city of New Zealand. Findings strongly support the suggestion that employee perceptions of employer internal and external CSR may shape their feelings of organisational attachment, resulting in employee guardianship behaviour that manifests in in-store shoplifting prevention. Further, from a societal perspective, this study suggests that a reduction in retail crime contributes towards positive relationships among key stakeholders such as supermarkets, their employees, and society at large based on the social, environmental, and employee welfare practices of supermarkets.     

The myth of big data: Chinese advertising practitioners’ perspective

A qualitative study was conducted to explore Chinese advertising practitioners’ perceptions and interpretations of big data in the Chinese market. Twenty-two in-depth interviews were conducted to collect the data. Four overarching themes emerged regarding the interviewees’ perception of the Chinese advertising market, the definition of big data, the application of big data and the future development of big data. Based on the themes, a theoretical framework was developed to demonstrate big data's application and development in the Chinese market. Theoretical and practical implications were offered.     

Factors influencing big data decision-making quality

Organizations are looking for ways to harness the power of big data (BD) to improve their decision making. Despite its significance the effects of BD on decision-making quality has been given scant attention in the literature. In this paper factors influencing decision-making based on BD are identified using a case study. BD is collected from different sources that have various data qualities and are processed by various organizational entities resulting in the creation of a big data chain. The veracity (manipulation, noise), variety (heterogeneity of data) and velocity (constantly changing data sources) amplified by the size of big data calls for relational and contractual governance mechanisms to ensure BD quality and being able to contextualize data. The case study reveals that taking advantage of big data is an evolutionary process in which the gradually understanding of the potential of big data and the routinization of processes plays a crucial role.     

How talent capability can shape service analytics capability in the big data environment?

We know very little about how big data-driven service analytics capabilities (SAC) are built in data-driven service organizations and the potential role of talent capability in facilitating overall SAC and the impact of both on firm performance (FPER). Drawing on the dynamic capabilities (DC) approach, this study investigates the link between SAC and FPER examining the mediating role of talent capability and the moderating influence of a firm’s strategic alignment. On the basis of two Delphi studies and survey data from 267 service analysts in the US and France, the findings show that even though SAC are built on technology, talent and information capabilities, their overall impact on firm performance is mediated by the level of talent capability of service analytics managers. The findings also confirm the critical moderating impact of strategic alignment between dynamic talent capability and firm performance in the big data environment.     

SMEs' Radical Product Innovation: The Role of Internally and Externally Oriented Knowledge Capabilities

This study examines the role and contribution of specific internally (knowledge diversity and sharing capabilities) and externally oriented knowledge‐related capabilities (exploratory, transformative, and exploitative learning processes of absorptive capacity) to radical product innovation in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). It extends the current literature on the topic by considering both types of knowledge‐related capabilities and by hypothesizing and testing connections between both. Our path analysis results, based on a sample of 194 SMEs in dynamic environments, indicate that radical innovation is positively affected by exploitative learning and by the knowledge sharing capability. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Leveraging firm-level marketing capabilities with marketing employee development

Using the theoretical foundations of the resource-based view of the firm, this study develops and measures marketing employee development capabilities and investigates how it moderates the relationships between brand and customer relationship management capabilities and firm performance outcomes. Based on a random sample survey of chief marketing executives from selected industries, combined with objective firm performance indicators and controls, results demonstrate that marketing employee development capabilities can leverage the relationships between firm-level marketing capabilities and customer satisfaction, market effectiveness, and objective financial performance. Further, these results show that such capabilities can be complementary and, in some cases, even substitute for each other, which improves organizational performance. Implications for researchers and marketing managers are discussed.     

Exploiting consumer–employee–retailer interactions in technology-enriched retail environments through a relational lens

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationships between consumer, frontline employees and retailer (organization) subjected to the disruptive force prompted by the adoption of innovative technologies in retail settings. Starting from qualitative data involving 43 frontline employees with different experiences, our analysis revealed that the way for building and maintaining organizational relationships changes differently considering consumer–employee and employee–retailer perspective. In particular, the emergent computer-mediated relationships seem to produce beneficial effects, while combining employees׳ existing capabilities with new competencies, thus resulting in an improvement of the entire retail process. Similarly, they are more satisfied and appreciated organization effort in supporting their jobs through the innovative technologies. Hence, the study provides an empirical contribution to the emerging literature on consumer–employee–retailer (organization) relationships in the innovative scenario through the in-depth investigation of these relationships of four case firms.     

Uncovering the message from the mess of big data

User-generated content, such as online product reviews, is a valuable source of consumer insight. Such unstructured big data is generated in real-time, is easily accessed, and contains messages consumers want managers to hear. Analyzing such data has potential to revolutionize market research and competitive analysis, but how can the messages be extracted? How can the vast amount of data be condensed into insights to help steer businesses’ strategy? We describe a non-proprietary technique that can be applied by anyone with statistical training. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) can analyze huge amounts of text and describe the content as focusing on unseen attributes in a specific weighting. For example, a review of a graphic novel might be analyzed to focus 70% on the storyline and 30% on the graphics. Aggregating the content from numerous consumers allows us to understand what is, collectively, on consumers’ minds, and from this we can infer what consumers care about. We can even highlight which attributes are seen positively or negatively. The value of this technique extends well beyond the CMO's office as LDA can map the relative strategic positions of competitors where they matter most: in the minds of consumers.     

Organizational environmental orientation and employee environmental in‐role behaviors: A cross‐level study

Amid the growth of scholarly research on environmental workplace behaviors, two limitations stand out. First, there has been scant research on the cross‐level effects of organizational‐level determinants on individual employee environmental behaviors using a methodologically appropriate multilevel analytic approach. Second, there has been an overwhelming focus on voluntary, as opposed to task‐related, employee environmentally friendly behaviors. In addressing these limitations, this field study (N = 615 U.S.‐based employees nested in 51 organizations) makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to the literature, specifically by linking the dimensions of organizational‐level environmental orientation with individual‐level employee environmental in‐role (i.e., task‐related) behaviors using multilevel analysis. The results indicate that organizational internal environmental orientation is positively related to employee recycling behavior. Managerial status exerts a moderating effect, such that the positive relationship between internal environmental orientation and energy‐saving behavior is stronger among managers than among non‐managers. Furthermore, an organization's external environmental orientation has an unequivocal positive relationship only with employee energy‐saving behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Customer Service in UK call centres: : organisational perspectives and employee perceptions

The 1990s have witnessed a dramatic rise in consumer demand for, and hence provision of, call centres in the UK. Central to the success of call centres is customer service. Although there exists an ever-expanding tranche of literature on call centres and customer service, it primarily focuses on aspects of their functionality. In contrast, this article encompasses analysis of organisational perspectives and employee perceptions in its review of the contemporary nature of customer service in UK call centres. Drawing from recent, exploratory research, the article asserts that, in general, there is significant potential for improving customer service and satisfaction through the medium of more sophisticated employee management practices.     

The effects of leader‐member exchange and employee learning on perceived employability

In today’s rapidly changing society, the critical issues for organizations are how to attract individuals with high‐level employability and what role to play in maintaining and enhancing that employability. This study primarily aimed to investigate the effects of leader‐member exchange and employee learning on perceived employability. The literature review showed that leader‐member exchange is about the mutual relationship between the leader and members of an organization, and that employee learning consists in the individual employees’ continuing learning behaviours. The data for this study were collected from 257 South Korean insurance company employees. The study findings demonstrated that leader‐member exchange has a significant positive influence on the one dimension of perceived employability: corporate sense. Employee learning, on the contrary, was shown to have statistically significant positive effects on all the five dimensions of employability. Conclusions were drawn, and the implications and limitations of the study are discussed.