Unlocking the potential of technology in HR

For most, finding their true purpose in life is an endeavour that is both elusive and drawn out. Some may have thrown themselves into a specialised field of work and study before realising that it was the antithesis of their calling; while others may have spent a great portion of their lives dabbling in numerous occupations before finding a job they love.

In the case of SMU Master of Human Capital Leadership (MHCL) graduate Thomas Reblora, it took a chance encounter for the HR analytics professional to discover his interest in human behaviour and workplace psychology.

Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Thomas had worked in the field of information technology when he first entered the workforce in 1990, handling different aspects of IT infrastructure and applications as he moved into different industries that ranged from consulting, telecommunications to pharmaceuticals.

Over the course of his career, he had several projects with colleagues from Human Resources and particularly enjoyed those that nudged people’s behaviour to achieve organisational goals.

But it was an experience in 2016 that really drove home the positive impact that can result from a deep understanding of human behaviour. At the time, he was based in Singapore as the Head of Commercial Solutions APAC for Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical and diagnostics company. There, a coach was able to help him and his teammates form such strong bonds during a leadership programme that “our dynamic shifted from colleagues to friends in a very short time”, Thomas recalls. “She had such a great impact on us, and it made me want to be a coach.”

Although he had embarked upon a Master of Business Administration programme in the Philippines, where he was from, he had to give it up due to work commitments. The leadership programme gave him the impetus to pick up his postgraduate studies again. This time, he decided to think beyond an MBA.

“I eventually opted for SMU’s Master of Human Capital Leadership (MHCL) programme because it is an interesting blend of MBA subjects such as marketing, finance, and strategy, as well as HR subjects such as leadership and HR analytics,” he says. “I’ve always been interested in human psychology and organisational behaviour, so I thought this programme would offer me a wealth of learning. It proved to be the case.”

When he first started the programme, however, he hadn’t yet made the decision to focus on HR. “I thought that as a leader myself, a deeper understanding of human and organisational behaviour would be a good add-on to my skills.” It was only after he took the HR Analytics class that he started to think seriously about switching his professional focus.

HR analytics (or people analytics) refers to the use of a data-driven approach to uncover actionable insights that improve an organisation's people practices and the workforce in general. It can be used to identify critical traits, skills, knowledge, and mindsets that drive performance, predict a likely performer or simply measure the efficacy of upskilling programmes, for example, among other things.

“It is linked to the fundamentals of organisational behaviour, and it has a lot of potential to inform business decisions,” says Thomas. “I was fascinated by this approach because it addresses many strategic topics, and it drives decisions based on evidence rather than on gut feel.”

As the Regional Manager of HR Analytics & Projects at Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific, he started the People Analytics practice in the region. He first demonstrated its potential by launching a project that scientifically identified in their salesforce’s performance predictors, from which development interventions were subsequently designed and implemented in collaboration with sales leaders.

He is also responsible for HR projects, some of which involve technology and automation. HR and technology are intertwined, he notes. “In my job, technology is needed to carry out data collection and extraction, data exploration, analysis and even to deploy solutions that leverage the collected insights.”

However, HR analytics products that tout advanced technology but have no strong grounding in organisational science may not be effective. As such, Thomas’ MHCL experience has proved to be invaluable in the evaluation of such tools. The programme gave him a strong foundation in organisational behaviour and evidence-based management, he says. “I believe that one challenge for HR today is how to separate hype from reality, and MHCL provides a good grounding for that.”

For instance, he always asks vendors how they come up with certain insights and solutions. “I’m looking for evidence and assumptions from which the analytics are based, rather than just the form of technology they are using. Otherwise we run the risk of making business decisions based on potentially spurious insights.”

His expertise in technology and passion for the art of optimising human behaviour will stand him in good stead, as the role of analytics in HR seems set to grow post-pandemic. For example, analytics can be used to help organisations be more effective in managing remote teams, helping staff develop critical skills and competencies, and measuring employee performance. “This may uncover new predictors of performance and other insights that otherwise did not matter in the pre-COVID-19 world,” Thomas believes.

On a more personal note, his shift into the field of HR has been a satisfying one. The ability to apply data and analytics to an organisation's people strategy enables Thomas to drive lasting impact and, perhaps as important, realise his potential for transforming lives.

“I can more tangibly measure the value of my work now,” he says.

“In the past, if the company’s sales revenue increased, I wouldn’t be able to say it was because the IT department launched a new customer relationship management platform. Now, my work is more people-centric, and I can see how different experiences and processes impact our employees’ wellbeing and performance.”