Deconstructing people, analytics and platforms: multimodality, inclusion and practice

In understanding the construct of People Analytical Platforms (PAPs), its affordance for different user groups, and organizational practices to ensure equity, this research places particular emphasis on 'multimodal inclusiveness for HR professionals', where 'multimodal' underscores the importance of accommodating diverse modes of communication and interaction. This research adopts a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for dissecting the HR professionals' narratives to identify specific indicators and power dynamics that might be concealed within their discourse; Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to investigate how specific linguistic elements contribute to the construction of power relations, meanings, and identities; and Post-structuralist discourse analysis (PDA) to unveil the dynamic process by which HR professionals construct their identities within various discourses. Each analysis aims to demonstrate that HR professionals cannot be simplistically categorized as either powerless and disadvantaged or as victims; rather, their positions and functions within the data exhibit multifaceted complexity, shedding light on the construction of power dynamics, meanings, and identities within this PAP discourse. To inform this research, I bring the theories of Community of Practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991), the founding concepts in Bourdieu's (1986) theory of capital to examine how HR professionals, through their linguistic and social capital, navigate power structures in People Analytics Platforms (PAPs), and Multimodal Social Semiotic Theory (MSST) for unpacking the visual and linguistic elements within PAPs, providing a nuanced analysis of how these elements convey meaning. The research is grounded in the Affective, Behavioral, and Knowledge (ABK) model, scrutinizing the Affective, Behavioral, and Knowledge domains of HR analytics. With a total of 6 HR professionals from Canada engaged in think-aloud and narrative interviews, the research unfolds the emotional landscapes, behavioral patterns, and knowledge aspects entwined with PAPs. The findings expose the multifaceted nature of HR analytics, depicting its role as a foundation for HR practices, the challenges in its implementation, and the interplay between data-driven decision-making and emotional awareness. This study provides valuable insights into the lived experiences of HR professionals, presenting a crucial bridge between the technicalities of analytics and the intricacies of human emotions and behavior within the contemporary workplace landscape.