ABSTRACT
Most H R professionals will agree that data analysis and interpretation is one of the most confusing tasks of the measurement and evaluation process. This confusion often results from misunderstanding the techniques and procedures involved as well as fear of statistics and data analysis. This chapter explores these issues in four parts, using a simplified, jargon-free approach. Figure 1 1 - 1 illustrates these four parts. The first part of the chapter addresses the critical issue of isolating the impact of an H R program. In almost every situation, other important variables will influence the impact of an H R program, and these factors must be taken into account. The second part o f the chapter discusses converting data to monetary values. I t is one thing to collect the data. but i t is a different process to assign a monetary value to i t . This process alone keeps many H R professionals from following through with a costlbenefit analysis. Statistical techniques, covered in the third part of the chapter, are extremely important in summarizing data and calculating relationships between groups of data. When presented in a simplified, straightforward manner, statistics can be very understandable and helpful for HR practitioners. In this part, references to other works provide more detail for the serious student of statistical analyses. The final part focuses on calculating the actual return on investment ( R O I ) , and presents coininon approaches to calculate values that can be used in comparison with other types of investmcnt.
