From dashboards to Big Data in HR: three uses of quantification in HR, in the light of sociology of quantification

Clotilde Coron (1)

1 LAB IAE Paris - Sorbonne

Human Resources use quantification in several ways. This paper defines and addresses the three main ways: HR dashboards and reports, HR analytics, and Big Data in HR. As those uses are increasingly important with the raise of Big Data or analytics in HR, it seems important to better understand them. The sociology of quantification helps to characterize them. Based on a qualitative study using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this paper shows that, even if those three uses present some similarities, they are sustained by different conventions (objectivity, deeper understanding, prediction, and improvement of the HR function). Finally, the Austin’s framework about the three dimensions of speech acts helps to build a typology of the main aims of those uses, transposing the dimensions of speech acts to the quantification objectives.

Mots clés: HR Analytics; Quantification; Sociology of quantification; Big Data in HR

Domaines: Gestion et management

Clotilde Coron. From dashboards to Big Data in HR: three uses of quantification in HR, in the light of sociology of quantification. EURAM, Jun 2018, Reykjavik, Iceland. ⟨halshs-01961223⟩