Handbook of Regression
Modeling in People
Analytics: With Examples in R,
Python and Julia
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Table of contents
Welcome
Foreword by Alexis Fink
Introduction
1 The Importance of Regression in
People Analytics
2 The Basics of the R Programming
Language
3 Statistics Foundations
4 Linear Regression for Continuous
Outcomes
5 Binomial Logistic Regression for
Binary Outcomes
6 Multinomial Logistic Regression
for Nominal Category Outcomes
7 Proportional Odds Logistic
Regression for Ordered Category
Outcomes
8 Modeling Explicit and Latent
Hierarchy in Data
9 Survival Analysis for Modeling
Singular Events Over Time
10 Alternative Technical Approaches
in R, Python and Julia
11 Power Analysis to Estimate
Required Sample Sizes for Modeling
Solutions to Exercises, Slide
Presentations, Videos and Other
Learning Resources
References
View book source 
On this page
Foreword by Alexis Fink Foreword by Alexis
Fink
Over the past decade or so, increases in compute power, emergence of friendly
analytic tools and an explosion of data have created a wonderful opportunity to View source 
bring more analytical rigor to nearly every imaginable question. Not Edit this page 
coincidentally, organizations are increasingly looking to apply all that data and
capability to what is typically their greatest area of expense and their greatest
strategic differentiator—their people. For too long, many of the most critical
decisions in an organization—people decisions—had been guided by gut instinct
or borrowed ‘best practices’ and the democratization of people analytics opened
up enticing pathways to fix that. Suddenly, analysts who were originally interested
in data problems began to be interested in people problems, and HR
professionals who had dedicated their careers to solving people problems needed
more sophisticated analysis and data storytelling to make their cases and to refine
their approaches for greater efficiency, effectiveness and impact.
Doing data work with people in organizations has complexities that some other
types of data work doesn’t. Often, the employee populations are relatively smaller
than data sets used in other areas, sometimes limiting the methods that can be
used. Various regulatory requirements may dictate what data can be gathered and
used, and what types of evidence might be required for various programs or
people strategies. Human behavior and organizations are sufficiently complex that
typically, multiple factors work together in influencing an outcome. Effects can be
subtle or meaningful only in combination, or difficult to tease apart. While in
many disciplines, prediction is the most important aim, for most people analytics
projects and practitioners, understanding why something is happening is critical.
While the universe of analytical approaches is wonderful and vast, the best ‘Swiss
army knife’ we have in people analytics is regression. This volume is an accessible,
targeted work aimed directly at supporting professionals doing people analytics
work. I’ve had the privilege of knowing and respecting Keith McNulty for many
years – he is the rare and marvelous individual who is deeply expert in the
mechanics of data and analytics, curious about and steeped in the opportunities
to improve the effectiveness and well-being of people at work, and a gifted
teacher and storyteller. He is among the most prolific standard-bearers for people
analytics. This new open-source volume is in keeping with many years of
contributions to the practice of understanding people at work.
After nearly 30 years of doing people analytics work and the privilege of leading
people analytics teams at several leading global organizations, I am still excited by
the problems we get to solve, the insights we get to spawn, and the tremendous
impact we can have on organizations and the people that comprise them. This
work is human and technical and important and exciting and deeply gratifying. I
hope that you will find this Handbook of Regression Modeling in People Analytics
helps you uncover new truths and create positive impacts in your own work.
Alexis A. Fink
December 2020
Alexis A. Fink, PhD is a leading figure in people analytics and has led major
people analytics teams at Microsoft and Intel before her current role as Vice
President of People Analytics and Workforce Strategy at Facebook. She is a Fellow of
the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and is a frequent author,
journal editor and research leader in her field.
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Examples in R, Python and Julia" was written by Keith McNulty.