Benjamin Friedrich
Associate Professor of Strategy
Benjamin Friedrich received his PhD in Economics from Yale University in 2016. He is currently an Associate Professor (untenured) in the Department of Strategy. Professor Friedrich's main research interests are in labor and personnel economics. His research combines administrative panel data sources to study the interaction of firms and employees, with a particular focus on hiring, staffing, and promotion strategies of firms and on worker career paths within and across organizations.
-
-
-
Doctor of Philosophy, 2016, Economics, Yale University
Masters of Philosophy, 2013, Economics, Yale University
Masters of Arts, 2012, Economics, Yale University
Masters of Science, 2010, International Economics and Finance, University of Tuebingen
Bachelor of Science, 2008, International Economics, University of Tuebingen -
Associate Professor (untenured), Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2021-present
Assistant Professor of Strategy, Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2017-2021
Donald P. Jacobs Scholar, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2016-2017
People Analytics and Strategy (STRT-440-0)
Hiring, developing, and retaining the right employees is crucial for success in modern firms. Big data is transforming how companies manage talent. This course will teach you how to combine economic frameworks and data analytics to make better-informed decisions on personnel strategy. The course is organized around the "life-cycle" of an employee at a company, starting from hiring, then training, compensation, promotions, benefits, diversity and discrimination, and retention. Each week, we will discuss one stage of this process, using a case discussion to highlight the tradeoffs that companies face, followed by a related data application in the next class. For example, we will use analytics in class to predict the potential of applicants to improve hiring decisions or we will use experimental designs to evaluate the effectiveness of training programs. This class is designed for MBA students who aspire to start, lead, and build businesses; this is not a course for those interested in careers as administrators of human resource management systems. The deliverables consist of in-class case discussions, as well as several individual and group homework assignments and a final take-home exam.
