Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Case Notes
Chapter 14: HR Metrics and Workforce Analytics
Regional Hospital
Case Summary
Regional Hospital is a 500-bed hospital and has several associated clinics in a major East Coast
metropolitan area. It has been an aggressive adopter of computing technologies in efforts to
decrease costs and improve operational efficiencies. A critical challenge facing the hospital is
meeting its ongoing challenges to staff at the hospital and allied clinics effectively, given the
ongoing shortage of nurses; uncertainty in health care legislation; emphasis on shortening
Company managers recognize the potential that HR metrics and analytics might have for their
organization, and they have come to our students for help. They are hearing from their peers in
other hospitals that metrics can help in this area but are not quite sure where to start. They are
looking for guidance on how to do HR metrics and workforce analytics.
Case Analysis
The central focus of this case is to define workforce analytics and discuss how and when it can
contribute to improving organizational effectiveness in this hospital. Workforce analyses
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Sample Answers to Case Questions
1. Do you believe that a program of HR metrics and workforce analytics might be useful in
Regional Hospital? If so, why?
Yes, because first it will help to identify metrics of importance to decision-making
procedures. There is a fundamental distinction between HR metrics and workforce
analytics. Metrics are data (numbers) that reflect some detail about given outcomes (e.g.,
2. What opportunities do you see regarding “where” and “how” metrics and analytics might be
applied in this organization?
The organization strategy or goal is to decrease costs and improve operational
efficiencies. This fact will drive the “where” for both metrics and, more importantly, for
analytics.
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
3. Identify three analyses and associated metrics you think might be useful for Regional Hospital
to consider.
Most of this answer is contained in the answer to Question 2, so the metrics and analytics
will not be repeated. However, more specifically, three useful analyses would be these:
4. How might Regional Hospital utilize benchmarking as a part of its metrics and analytics
effort, if at all?
The mangers should use benchmarking against other hospitals in their geographic region
5. What advice would you offer to the managers at Regional Hospital about developing a
program of HR metrics and workforce analytics?
Given the current state of the organization and its multiple problems, Regional Hospital
6. What potential problems might occur in the establishment of an HR metrics and workforce
analytics program for Regional Hospital managers about which you would want to alert them
prior to beginning this project?
There are the following potential problems: