Story Telling with Data

Have you ever looked at a graph and found it more confusing than helpful? Maybe you were sitting in a lecture and found yourself lost trying to decipher what was going on instead of listening to the presentation? You’re not alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Data, when used and displayed correctly, should tell a story that everyone can understand – not just data scientists.

Many industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists analyze data from employees and organizations and present findings to managers and executives. Therefore, I-O Psychologists need certain skills to investigate data and effectively present results.

What is Data?

What exactly do we mean by “data”? For I-O Psychologists, data largely falls under the umbrella of either quantitative or qualitative.

How Do I-Os Use Data?

Typically, quantitative data (including data from surveys and objective measures) are analyzed using statistical methods, and qualitative data are analyzed in a more interpretive way to identify important themes that emerge. However, both types of data can utilize statistical software (for example, SPSS, R, SAS, or Mplus).

Examining data helps us answer important research questions and solve real-world organizational problems, such as:

• Was a supervisor training effective?
• What are the most important factors leading employees to quit at a certain organization?
• Does access to organizational benefits (e.g., free lunch, onsite gym) predict organizational commitment?

How do I-Os Present Data?

Data presentation is almost as important as the analysis! Often times, I-Os will present their work to managers without a statistics background. In these cases, it’s important to convey the story behind the data in an easy-to-understand format. Data visualization, like it sounds, is the term used to describe how data is visually presented and is an important component of many I-Os work. For example, look at the two graphs below. The two graphs contain the same information; however, the first one is confusing with unclear axes, whereas the second one is easy to quickly interpret.

What Jobs Use Data?

Almost all I-O Psychology jobs use data to some extent. I-O psychologists specializing in data analysis may join data analytics or people analytics team and may work with big data. You may have heard these buzz words before, but what do they mean? The specific applications vary widely, but at the root, these roles focus on gathering and utilizing data to better understand employees and the organization (see this SIOP white paper for more details). Given I-Os unique skillset, they are a great addition to analytic teams and often work beside other I-Os, computer scientists, statisticians, and MBAs.

How do I-Os Learn Data Analysis?

Graduate programs typically include a basic statistics sequence covering: correlation, ANOVA, and regression. Additionally, students usually take a course focused on proper survey design and analysis. Beyond that, students may take more advanced statistical courses that allow them to gain deeper insights into the data. For example, some researchers sample participants every day for a few weeks in what is called daily diary studies to examine changes in day-to-day experiences. Analyzing this type of data requires slightly more advanced tools that you can learn in graduate school.

How Can I Prepare Now? 

It’s never too early to start learning about data!

• Take advantage of statistics courses that are offered in high school and college. Courses geared towards psychology or social sciences will be particularly helpful.
• Experiment with presenting results! Use class projects as an opportunity to practice presenting easy-to-understand graphs and charts. Ask family or friends who are unfamiliar with the topic to explain their main takeaway. This process can help identify confusing points.
• Read popular press articles on data visualization to keep learning about the powerful impact data can have!