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Abilities, motivation, and opportunities for HR analytics within public sector HR professionals
Dalarna University, School of Culture and Society, Business Administration and Management.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2377-1310
(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The topic of human resource (HR) analytics has recently attracted growing interest. Despite numerous advantages, adopting HR analytics in practice is still limited, especially in a public sector context. The aim of this study is to investigate why this is the case. The study applies the Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity (AMO) framework to examine public sector HR professionals’ preconditions for HR analytics. A total of 30 interviews were conducted with HR practitioners in three public administration authorities in Sweden and they were analysed using thematic template analysis. The results show that despite the high motivation to comply with governments’ political agendas, improve decision-making, and ensure transparency, HR practitioners report a lack of analytical skills and technical knowledge. They are also limited by data availability, technical support, scarce resources, and complex organisational structures. The study adds to a growing body of HR analytics literature and highlights the complexity involved in HR analytics adoption. 

Keywords [en]
Human Resource Management; Human Resource Analytics; People Analytics; Public Organisations; Human Resource Practitioners
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-49238OAI: oai:DiVA.org:du-49238DiVA, id: diva2:1890233
Available from: 2024-08-19 Created: 2024-08-19 Last updated: 2025-11-14Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Exploring the Practice of HR Analytics: Insights from a Public Sector Context
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Exploring the Practice of HR Analytics: Insights from a Public Sector Context
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Human Resource Analytics (HRA) is a technology-enabled organisational practice that utilises quantitative data and analysis to enhance HR decision-making. While HRA has gained increasing interest among HR practitioners, its adoption has been predominantly concentrated in technology-intensive private sector companies. At the same time, academic research on HRA remains limited, particularly in the public sector. Although factors such as low technological maturity and a lesser focus on profit maximisation and competitive advantage may hinder its implementation, HRA holds significant potential for public sector organisations due to their distinct characteristics. These include large workforces generating extensive HR-related data, political authority, governmental ownership, and a strong emphasis on transparency, accountability, and efficiency in areas such as competence supply, workforce recruitment, and retention.This thesis comprises four papers that collectively conceptualise and investigate the practice of HRA, exploring the reasons, preconditions, and processes involved in its implementation within public sector organisations. Empirical data were collected from three Swedish public sector organisations at the national, regional, and local levels. The study employs an engaged scholarship research design, allowing for the pragmatic application of multiple theoretical perspectives best suited to address the overarching research question: How is HRA being implemented in public sector organisations? This research aims to contribute to the existing HRA literature while also offering practical insights for organisations and HR practitioners operating in this under-researched context.By adopting a practice-based approach, informed by institutional legitimacy concept, the AMO (Ability, Motivation, Opportunity) framework, and organisational translation perspective, this thesis reveals that HRA practices undergo significant adaptation during implementation. In the public sector, HRA has primarily been limited to improving HR reporting and the visualisation of descriptive HR data. HRA practitioners, driven by contextual factors and the need to ensure the legitimacy of HR activities through economic rationality, face constraints related to analytical skills, organisational resources, and sector-specific characteristics.Given the rapid advancements in technology, including the growing influence of AI, future research should explore how these developments, alongside challenges such as employee privacy and data protection, impact the further evolution of HRA practices in the public sector.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Uppsala University, 2025. p. 111
Series
Doctoral thesis / Företagsekonomiska institutionen, Uppsala universitet, ISSN 1103-8454 ; 225
Keywords
human resource analytics, HR analytics, people analytics, HR reporting, HR practitioners, HR implementation, practice theory, public sector HR
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-50599 (URN)978-91-506-3103-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-05-27, Hörsal 2, Ekonomikum, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10, 14:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2025-05-13 Created: 2025-05-13 Last updated: 2025-11-14Bibliographically approved

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Espegren, Yanina

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • chicago-author-date
  • chicago-note-bibliography
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
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