The recipient of a master of education in organization and leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, Shadia Alvarez serves as the senior vice president for equity and strategic development at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Over the course of her career, Shadia Alvarez has acquired competence in various aspects, including educational administration, strategic planning and implementation, and data-driven decision-making.
In the modern business world, many companies rely on data to discover and capitalize on opportunities, take timely actions, and sometimes discover and counter challenges before they become serious problems. Using data for the purpose mentioned above is called data-driven decision-making (DDDM). Fortunately, popular companies (including Google and Amazon) have acknowledged the importance of data in decision-making and are paying utmost attention to this strategic approach. Let's take a look at a real-life application of DDDM.
In 2006, Google created the People Analytics Department to facilitate data-driven HR decisions. The data was collected via employee surveys and performance reviews. The purpose of the first rounds of data collected was to determine if managers were making a positive impact or contributing nothing to the department. The data helped Google discover that members of teams with better managers were enthusiastic about their role in the company and wanted to work for it long-term.
When Google realized that the data attributes better management with the devoted performance of team members, the company saw the need to determine the qualities that make a good manager. To accomplish this, Google created the "Great Managers Award." The program collects data from employees regarding what they consider to be the features of a competent manager. The data mined from this program helped Google establish eight behavior standards for managers, which now serve as the critical essentials of Google's management training program. Google rates managers based on these standards via feedback surveys.
In the modern business world, many companies rely on data to discover and capitalize on opportunities, take timely actions, and sometimes discover and counter challenges before they become serious problems. Using data for the purpose mentioned above is called data-driven decision-making (DDDM). Fortunately, popular companies (including Google and Amazon) have acknowledged the importance of data in decision-making and are paying utmost attention to this strategic approach. Let's take a look at a real-life application of DDDM.
In 2006, Google created the People Analytics Department to facilitate data-driven HR decisions. The data was collected via employee surveys and performance reviews. The purpose of the first rounds of data collected was to determine if managers were making a positive impact or contributing nothing to the department. The data helped Google discover that members of teams with better managers were enthusiastic about their role in the company and wanted to work for it long-term.
When Google realized that the data attributes better management with the devoted performance of team members, the company saw the need to determine the qualities that make a good manager. To accomplish this, Google created the "Great Managers Award." The program collects data from employees regarding what they consider to be the features of a competent manager. The data mined from this program helped Google establish eight behavior standards for managers, which now serve as the critical essentials of Google's management training program. Google rates managers based on these standards via feedback surveys.
