High Impact People Analytics Teams: What Separates the Best People Analytics Teams From the Rest?

Why It Matters

Organizations that embed people analytics into core business outcomes unlock measurable financial gains and competitive advantage, while firms that remain project‑focused miss critical value.

Key Takeaways

• A‑teams prioritize business performance over isolated analytics projects.
• Focus on AI, productivity, skills, and cost‑optimization drives impact.
• Measure outcomes; A‑teams assess value three times more often.
• Strong executive influence and data literacy are hallmarks of top teams.
• Align analytics work with organization’s quarterly or strategic objectives.

Summary

The Insight22 webinar presented new research on what separates high‑impact people‑analytics teams from the rest, categorising functions into four maturity buckets (A‑D) and outlining eight core characteristics that predict success.

The study found that A‑teams consistently tie their work to business performance, whereas lower‑tier teams focus on one‑off projects. Topics such as AI/GenAI, employee productivity, skills development, and cost‑optimization are the primary levers for top performers. Moreover, A‑teams are three times more likely to measure the financial or strategic impact of their initiatives.

Majura Chakrabati highlighted that 90% of A‑teams report a business‑performance focus versus only 38% of D‑teams, and that only 25% of D‑teams actually spend time on performance‑driving analytics compared with 59% of A‑teams. She also emphasized the importance of executive influence, data‑literacy programs, and rigorous impact measurement.

For practitioners, the implication is clear: align analytics projects with the organization’s quarterly or strategic goals, start with high‑impact topics like productivity and AI, build strong partnerships with senior leaders, and embed measurement frameworks to climb the maturity ladder.

Original Description

In this Insight222-hosted webinar, discover how top teams close the gap between insight and impact. Learn first-hand how people analytics drives measurable business outcomes and decisions.

Drawing on many years of research from the annual Insight222 People Analytics Trends study, this webinar explores the Insight222 Leading Companies Model and what sets high-performing teams apart.

The data is clear: 90% of A teams report measurable impact on business performance, compared with just 38% of D teams.

The model identifies eight characteristics that define how the leading people analytics functions operate — from reporting lines and finance partnerships, to building a data-driven culture, scaling AI-powered personalisation, and developing a consulting-led front-end. Invest in the right areas, and your people analytics function will create more impact and drive more business value.

Hosted by David Green and featuring Madhura Chakrabarti, with People Analytics Leaders, Dawn Klinghoffer, Head of People Analytics at Microsoft, and Jeremy Shapiro, AVP Human Resources, Workforce Analytics at Merck & Co - sharing first-hand experiences and practical takeaways.