In today’s fast-evolving world of work, organisations are under increasing pressure to innovate, scale, and stay competitive. A recent post (https://bit.ly/4lPvgz6), “The Three Pillars of Innovation” by Prof. Ndubuisi Ekekwe, sheds light on a fundamental truth about how companies and nations are built: through the effective interplay of People, Processes, and Tools. While all three are essential, one stands undeniably at the centre: People.
Tools may be cutting-edge and processes may be streamlined, but without capable, well-equipped people, innovation stalls. People design systems, operate tools, and adapt in real time. This reality places human resource management not at the margins, but at the very core of sustainable innovation and organisational performance.
If tools are products of scientific discoveries, and processes are optimised or streamlined using scientific principles and guidelines, people who put the tools and processes into use cannot afford to pay lip service to scientific guidelines. What is more? People managers and people management institutes must take the lead in aligning their practices and training curricula with evidence-based, science-driven principles.
Yet, despite this centrality, the science of managing people is still underdeveloped in many quarters. HR is often seen as a reactive or operational function. It is time to change that narrative. Just as finance is underpinned by accounting principles, and engineering by physics, HR must be underpinned by science.
The Science of People Management
“The science of people management” refers to the application of evidence-based principles, data analytics, and behavioural science to the art of leading and developing people. It is about understanding human behaviour in the workplace through structured methods, rigorous analysis, and continual experimentation. This evolution is not optional—it is necessary.
One practical example of science in HR is the use of HR analytics, or people analytics. This involves collecting and analysing data related to workforce behaviour, performance, engagement, and outcomes to guide decision-making. For instance:
• Predicting employee turnover using historical patterns
• Identifying the characteristics of high-performing teams
• Tracking learning outcomes and their correlation with productivity
• Using sentiment analysis to gauge morale in real-time
This level of analysis enables HR to move beyond intuition to evidence. And with that shift comes greater credibility, impact, and strategic influence.
A Call to HR Training Institutions and Stakeholders
If people are truly the cornerstone of innovation and economic development, then people managers must be trained accordingly. It is no longer sufficient to train HR professionals on policies and interpersonal skills alone. The curriculum must evolve and must give priority to subjects such as:
• Data analytics and visualisation
• Organisational psychology
• Systems thinking
• Artificial intelligence in HR
• Workforce planning models
• Evidence-based decision-making
HR is a discipline. And like any other professional discipline, it deserves a foundation rooted in both art and science. We must stop treating HR as an administrative afterthought and start positioning it as a driver of organisational intelligence.
Conclusion
The future of HR lies in its ability to embrace science without losing its human touch. As technology continues to reshape work, the organisations that will lead are those that equip their people leaders to think analytically, act ethically, and operate strategically.
People, Processes, Tools. Among these, only people have the power to improve the other two.
Let us build HR systems that reflect this truth.