Critical Evaluation Flashcards
Data Advocacy
Developing an inquiring mindset, learning what data drives the business and where it can be found, developing parternships across the orgz to promote EBDM.
Data Gathering
Knowing what constitues sufficient, credible, and objective evidence and being able to find it.
Data Analysis
Being able to organize data so that it reveals patterns and to analyze it to detect logical relationships.
Steps in EBDM
Being able to apply the results of data gathering and analysis to make better business decisions.
Ask Acquire Appraise Aggregate Apply Assess
Advantages and Challenges to Interviews
Advantages: safer, confidential, comments can suggest direction for futher group research.
Challenges: time sensitive, need strong relationship building skills, requires vigilence to avoid bias
Advantages and Challenges to Focus Groups
*A structured discussion with a facilitator and group:
Advantages: flexible and comfortable for discussion, group brainstorming, learn about EE needs.
Challenges: fosters ‘group think’, participants can go off on tangent, no deep discussion
Focus Group Tools ‘Mind Mapping/Affinity Diagramming’
Mind Mapping: Begins the discussion with core ideas, group members add related ideas and indicate logical connections, eventually grouping similar ideas.
Affinity Diagramming: Affinity is a way of sorting a large amount of data that has already been collected, data is categorized until relationships are clearly drawn.
Focus Group Tools ‘Nominal Group Technique’
Rounds in which participants each suggest ideas, the rounds continue until no further ideas are proposed. Then redundancies are removed.
Focus Group Tools ‘Delphi Technique’
Progressively collects information from a group on a preselected issue, the first respondent proposes information, the next person adds something different, and so on, until a list is compiled.
People are anonymous
2nd round the reasearcher circulates the list and asks each respondent to refine previous ideas.
Surveys and Questionnaires as Data Source
- Obtaining a valid sample
- Designing the survey with analysis in mind (to compile and compare responses easier)
- Asking the right questions
Advantages and Challenges to Surveys/Questionnaire
Advantages: efficient, easy to quantify data
Disadvantages: obtain an acceptable response rate, follow up on anonymous data, time and statistical expertise
Reliabiltiy
Ability of a data gathering instrument or tool, such as a survey, to provide results that are consistent.
Validity
Ability of an instrument to measure what it is intended to measure.
Statistical Sampling
Often used when the population to be analyzed is verly large or when data cannot be obtained from the entire population.
The sample must be representative, it must reflect key characteristics of the enitre population being studied.
Median
The middle value in the range of values
Mode
The most frequently occuring values in a set of data
Mean
The average score or value
Unweighted vs Weighted Mean
Unweighted: sum of all values in the sample divided by the number of values. ($325,000/5=$65,000)
Weighted: used when some data in the dataset have more significance or effect than other data. More precise ($9,900+$5,400+$11,700+$32,200+$$6,750=$65,950 after you divide by how many ppl hold those positions)
Standard Deviation
Represents the distance of any data point from the center of a distribution when data is distributed in a normal or expected pattern.
- when SD in a dataset is low, the data curve is high and narrow
- when SD is high, the curve is flatter and longer
Variance Analysis
Identifies the degree of difference between planned and actual performance.
Ratio Analysis
Compares the relative size of two variables and yields a percentage.
Trend Analysis
Examines data from different points in time to determine if a variance is an isolaed event or if it is part of a longer trend.
Regression Analysis
Dertemine whether a relationship exists between variables and the strength of the relationship.
Root-Cause Analysis
Starts with a result and then works backwards. Fishbone 5 Why’s
Scenario/What-If-Analysis
Can be used to test the possible effects of altering the details of a situation to see how the outcomes will vary under different conditions.
Histogram
Appears as columns of varying heights, can show comparisons over time.
Ex: Analyze recruiting methods in terms of EE performance ratings
Trend Diagram
Plots points on two axes. The horizontal axis usually represents time, can be used to test for presence of cycles/trends while the vertical axis represents volume.
Ex: Analyze workforce demands, high/low points in the calendar year
Pareto Chart
80% of effects come from 20% of causes. It distinguishes between the vital few categories that contribute most of the issues.
Ex: Analyze and illustrate causes of voluntary and involuntary EE separation from the orgz.
Scatter Diagram
Plots data points against 2 variables that form the x and y axes. To test possible casual relationships.
Ex: Maps the correlation of workplace accidents with a series of factors, such as access to safety training.
How to Become an HR Data Advocate?
- Develop a questioning mindset
- Build fluency in the scientific literature of HR (regularly scanning resources)
- Gather data on a continuous basis
- Use evidence when communicating with stakeholders
- Institutionalize the competency in the HR function (report on new important classic articles)
How to Assess Validity of Data Sources?
Does the source have authority? (labor dept, academic institution)
What are the source’s ppl biases?
Are the sources for data used in publication and cited?
Are the facts relevant?
Is the data current?
Conducting More Effective Focus Groups
- Planning so that objectives are clearly defined
- Context, because culture has an effect orgz and national participation
- Facilitator, because you need a good one
- Recorded, so they take notes about comments
Existing Data as Data Source
Can use official documents, performance data, financial data, reports, industry data.
Adv: rich, multi perspective source of data, eliminates bias of facilitator
Dis: time sensitive, requires experience to extract data, find data
Artifacts as a Data Source
The objects created by members of a culture that convey a sense of that cultures values and priorities, beliefs, habits, and rituals, or perspectives.
For physical and virtual workplaces/environments
Adv: provides insight into cultural issues
Dis: requires researcher to understand the principles of culture, can create misunderstandings if there is 0 familiarity with culture.
Errors and Bias in Statistical Analysis
Sampling: a sample may not represent the general population
Selection: when participants are not randomly assigned
Response: inverse of selection bias, the researchers invite a sample to join but the group that accepts is not representative
Performance: participants in a controlled study behave diff because they are being studied
Measurement: raters are measuring incorrectly
Frequency Distribution
Used to sort numerical data to reveal patterns
How many times does it happen is frequency
