bura.brunel.ac.uk · Web viewFACTORS INFLUENCING E-HRM IMPLEMENTATION IN GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS: CASE STUDIES FROM BANGLADESH. ABSTRACT. Purpose: This study aims to investigate

FACTORS INFLUENCING E-HRM IMPLEMENTATION IN GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS: CASE STUDIES FROM BANGLADESH

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study aims to investigate factors influencing e-HRM implementation in Bangladesh government organisations. Recent research has shown that electronic human resource management (e-HRM) plays a significant role in enhancing the performance of human resource (HR) departments. While similar practices are expected from government domain, there is limited empirical research evidence to support this proposition. The significant technological advancements has had an immense influence on people management, leading to the development of e-HRM.

Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative and multiple case study research approach. Data was collected from two government ministries in Bangladesh.

Findings: The findings provide insights into the myth surrounding the lack of and slow implementation of e-HRM among public sector organisation in developing economies but also serve as empirical data for further research.

Research implications: The dearth of empirical studies and the need to understand the factors that influence the implementation of e-HRM in public sector organisations led the authors to investigate the factors influencing the implementation of e-HRM in public sector organisation.

Practical implications: Findings from two case organisations exhibit that such an approach contributes towards more healthy and robust decisions for e-HRM implementation. The findings from this research can serve as a source of understanding the particular context in which the study is undertaken. Moreover, it should serve as a catalyst for understanding organisations in similar socio-political and economic context.

Originality/value: This research advances and contributes to the body of knowledge as it examines factors influencing the implementation of e-HRM in Bangladesh public sector organisations and proposes a model for e-HRM implementation in government organisations in developing economies. The e-HRM implementation research presented in this paper extends recognised standards for e-HRM implementation, by bringing together influential factors – benefits, barriers and risks, thus, enabling government organisations in developing nations to produce more vigorous proposals for e-HRM implementation.

Keywords: e-HRM Implementation, Factors, Benefits, Barriers, Risks, Government Sector

1. INTRODUCTION

Over the past few years, HR departments in government organisations in the developed countries have improved their performance by employing e-HRM systems. Conversely, in the context of developing countries (e.g. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan), e-HRM research and its application is still in its early stage (Bondarou et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2016; Sinha and Mishra, 2014; Abbasia et al., 2016). However, there are some cases where government organisations attempted to implement (partially ) e-HRM systems and faced many obstacles (Johnson et al., 2016; Heikkilä et al., 2014, Banerji, 2013) such as the lack of e-HRM systems skilled workforce (Simon and Esteves 2016, Samaduzzaman, 2012), and unavailability of sophisticated IT infrastructure in government organisations (Jaradat, 2013). While a majority of studies on e-HRM focused on the developed region, there are a fewer studies in less developed countries such as Bangladesh (Bondarouk et al., 2017; Makkar and Sanjeev 2014; Al-Dmour and Shannak, 2012). The growth of IT has significantly influenced organisations towards changing their working strategy such as HR environment and performance has been influenced, by implementing new technology in HR departments. However, it is important to note that the implementation of IT within a HR environment has not always been problem free as a result of several factors.

For instance, most of the developing countries in the Asian region have been confronted with political upheaval, which has to a greater extent distracted the decision makers and the bureaucracy from the appropriate implementation and usage of e-HRM technologies. Although, the use of information systems (IS) has increased, its e-HRM utility has been low in developing countries, because of the HR managers’ lack of skills and proper training (Samaduzzaman and Zaman, 2015). If employees do not receive proper training from the organisations to use e-HRM systems, it results in increasing cost and reduces job performance (Al-Dmour and Shannak, 2012). Other organisational disadvantages with e-HRM implementation include shortage of staff with IT competencies or expertise (Guechtouli, 2011), lack coordination between the department, lack of technology support or organisational process changes (Parry and Wilson, 2009; Bal et al., 2012). Resistence towards the use of new systems has also been reported a significant issue (Weekes, 2006; Hustad and Munkvold, 2005). Other problems confronted during the implementation of e-HRM systems in developing countries is the high cost of implementing the e-HRM systems, building appropriate IT infrastructure, buying computers fitting the requirement of the e-HRM systems, software maintenance, and hardware maintenance (Reddick, 2009; Islam 2016). The goal of implementing e-HRM in government organisations is to increase the government efficiency and reduce the corruption (Joseph and Ezzedeen, 2009). A key challenge for the implementation of e-HRM systems is the difficulty in centralising and computerising the HR departments and integrating e-HRM systems with payroll and appraisal systems (Strohmeier and Kabst, 2009).

Another problem whilst implementing e-HRM system is the security and privacy issue concerning the employees, their concern that other employees could enter their personal information, private data or payroll system and might have the ability to change their personal information, which affect the employees trust in organisation (Joseph and Ezzedeen, 2009). Implementing e-HRM initiatives are considered as political in nature, because of the investment cost and the issue of control at work. Oswal and Narayanappa (2015) argue that the introduction of technology could encourage power games and political influence over decision-making processes within organisations. The foregoing challenges to implement e-HRM systems demonstrate that e-HRM systems have either been partially implemented and/or not properly used or where there are cases of adoption and implementation of e-HRM systems, the HR departments in government organisations have faced resistance from the workforce. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the extant research does not clearly highlight how have e-HRM systems infleunced government organisation in the developing regions (Wright 2008). This research takes a step forward and understands this phenomenon in the context of Bangladesh. Despite being considered as an industrial country; there is a need for efficient HRM systems to automate the HR departments (Bondarouk, 2011). Thus, considering the importance of e-HRM systems and the way it enhances the HR departments, it is vital to fully implement e-HRM systems in the public sector of Bangladesh. This study examines factors influencing e-HRM implementation in Bangladesh government organisations.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW: FROM HRM TO E-HRM

2.1 Human Resource Management (HRM)

HRM is defined as a planned and rational approach to the management of an organisation’s key assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives (Armstrong 2016). Personnel administration is essentially related to the basic HR functions such as hiring, training, rewarding and evaluating employees; it was mostly “employee” organisation than “function” organisation (Torrington et al., 2017). Functions of HR have expanded during the last decades from “staff” organisation to “functions” organisation (Torrington et al., 2017). In 1980s, the organisations comprehended that the competitive advantage can be achieved by using the power of the human resource in their organisations, which lead to a new concept named as “Strategic HRM” (SHRM).

Strategic management value relies in using the human capital within the organisation, which is difficult to replace, unlike the external factors as technology, economic, natural resources which can easily be replicated (Atsanga, 2013). HRM functions in any organisations are significant and critical in improving and achieving the organisational objectives and strategy, and attaining competitive advantage (Alnaqbi, 2011; Ulrich et al., 2013; Sareen and Subramanian, 2012; Marler and Parry, 2015). As reported by De Cieri and Sheehan (2008), there are five primary HRM functions such as:

· Recruitment and selection (Lievens et al., 2015; Simon and Esteves, 2016);

· Training and development (Armstrong 2017);

· Performance management (Pulakos, 2009; Lawler, 2008);

· Paystructure (Bhuiyan 2013; Milkovich et al., 1991), and

· Employment (Grugulis, 2017).

2.2 Electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM)

E-HRM system involves evaluation of IT infrastructure and determining the readiness level of each infrastructure to implement e-HRM subsystem (Marler and Fisher, 2013; Simon and Esteves, 2016). Review of the literature suggests three major goals of e-HRM implementation: cost reduction, improving HR services and improving strategic orientation (Welbourne, 2010). E-HRM has benefited in leading to a radical redistribution of work in organisations. For instance, desktop activities such as appraisal performance, employee cost evaluation and reporting activities are now performed by HR professionals – managers and employees through online systems (Parry, 2011). E-HRM considered as a part of management information system (MIS) within HR department is anticipated to support and help in planning process, administration process, the process of decision making and controlling the Human Resource Management activities (Bal et al., 2012). E-HRM as an analytical tool help the decision maker in making valuable and accurate decision, managing human capital by improving intellectual capital, knowledge management and social capital that further leads to improved HR functions, organisational performance and effectiveness (Bondarouk et al., 2017; Losup, et al., 2011; Aggarwal and Kapoor 2012). Furthermore, e-HRM supports the organisations in managing all the information related to HR electronically, helps the organisation in managing employees and organisational documents and information by recording and analysing them, such as employee handbooks, safety procedures and emergency evacuations (Johnson et al., 2016; Abbasia et al., 2016). The latter is accomplished through the use of different e-HRM sub-functions such as:

· E-Recruiting – can be defined as the “use of the Internet to attract potential employees to an organisation and hire them; online recruitment is also known as e-Recruitment, is the practice whereby the online technology is used websites particularly as a means of assessing, interviewing, and hiring personnel” (Dhamija, 2012),

· E-Training – online training has become primarily the most efficient way to dispense training within the government organisations from the human recourses specialist view, reducing direct costs are instructors, printed materials, training facilities and indirect costs are travel time, lodging and travel expenses, workforce downtimes (Armstrong, 2017),

· E-Learning – refers to all the programmes of training, learning or education where web-based systems and applications are used to create and the transfer knowledge (Parry, 2011). E-learning covers various applications as web-based programmes for learning such as computer-based learning, online class rooms and online collaboration (Gueutal and Stone, 2005)

· E-Selection – online selection systems are important because they are one of the means that organisations use to increase the likelihood of incumbents meeting role requirements, it proceeds of varied tests through online and contacts candidate meanwhile email makes an interview by audio and video conferencing (Parry, 2011; Makkar and Sanjeev, 2014).

· E-Compensation Management/Administration – provides a system for organisations to administer and track employee participation in benefits programmes. These typically encompass insurance, compensation, profit sharing and retirement. This process needs all sorts of information to be gathered and administered, especially the nature of the accident or sickness, the individuals implicated, medical reports, regulations controlling staff behaviour, and government information (Hendrickson, 2003)

· E-Performance Appraisal – a software programme that facilitates the completion of performance evaluations online. The primary goal of a performance management system is to control employee behaviour, ensuring its alignment with organisational goals. These systems typically help managers to measure performance, write performance reviews, and provide feedback to employees (Cardy and Miller, 2005).

Despite the significance of e-HRM in the developed regions, its implementation (using the abovementioned functions) in developing regions’ government organisations is still in early stages; even, though, there are many studies that investigate the adoption of e-HRM. For instance,

· Jordan – Jaradat (2013) investigated the challenges from adopting e-HRM in the Jordanian public organisations, such as lack of sophisticated technological infrastructure, the contentment of using e-HRM systems and lack or limited knowledge on HR systems.

· Pakistan – Ahmer (2013) investigated the adoption of e-HRM systems in Pakistani public organisations. This study determined the factors that influence the decision-making process in organisations. The findings revealed that the support from the top management for e-HRM system implementation was reported as critical factor.

· Malaysia – Yusoff and Ramayah (2012) explored the influence of knowledge in business, human resource expertise on adopting HR systems. The study concluded that limited knowledge in business and low expertise of human resource management is affecting the adopting e-HRM.

· Latin America – the situation here is not different on the organisations facing challenges while adopting e-HRM. For instance, Qian et al., (2009) reported the socio-cultural factors pose a challenge to organisation in implementing e-HRM..

From the above examples, it is evident that e-HRM implementation in government organisation has not been free from challenges. These challenges are various and depend on the country context, which means there is no standard e-HRM system to adopt and implement, and every organisation should customise the system based on their needs and requirement. Based on these latter concerns, the authors aimed to study the benefits, barriers and risks of e-HRM implementation.

2.3. E-HRM implementation in the government sector.

Organisations implement e-HRM systems to enhance and increase the HR functions to achieve the competitive advantages of the organisations (Parry, 2011). In the context of Bangladesh, Sapkota (2013) argued that though it is an industrial state in the Asian region, the government and other public sector organisations need to implement e-HRM systems to enhance their organisational performance and service delivery to citizens and more specifically the employees within the organisation. Moreover, implementing e-HRM in Bangladeshi government sector organisation will simply support and power the organisations performance by enhancing managers in managing the human capital in Bangladesh (Rimi et al., 2017). Thus, use of e-HRM in Bangladesh is perceived to be satisfied comparing to other countries in Asia i.e. Nepal (Samaduzzaman and Zaman, 2012).

Most of the government organisations in Bangladesh implementing e-HRM systems to evaluate their HR functions and the usage of system were perceived to be high or moderate based on a study conducted by Bhuiyan (2013). According to the findings of the latter research, the implementation of e-HRM enables the organisation to recruit and select the appropriate and talented individuals for the job, which reflect the organisational performance, and providing these capable workforce with further training – this will increase their knowledge and raise the level of commitment of these employees towards the organisation (Masum et al., 2013). The usage of e-HRM systems in government organisations has differed from organisation to an organisation based on their needs, which means the implementation of e-HRM systems has been customised to meet the requirement of the organisations.

Some of the existing types of e-HRM systems (e.g. ABRA SUITE, ABS or Atlas Business Solution, CORT, Human Resource Microsystems, etc.) are extensively used in government organisations in Bangladesh (Bhuiyan, 2013, Nadia et al., 2017). Most of the studies that selected Bangladesh as a case study in their research (e.g. Samaduzzaman and Zaman, 2012; Masum et al., 2013; Bhuiyan, 2013, Rahman et al., 2016) faced several challenges while implementing e-HRM systems in the Bangladeshi organisations. Though the latter studies indicate that there are challenges in implementing e-HRM systems but there are limited research studies that focus on presenting a classification of the benefits, barriers and risks (e.g. Strohmier, 2009).

In summarising the outcomes of the review of the literature, Table 1 presents the research issues that still require further investigation.

Research Issues for Further Investigation

Research Issues

Source

· Low level of e-HRM implementation in developing countries.

Bal et al., (2012); Islam (2016)

· Developing countries in Asia are generally instable regarding the political situation.

Edwards et al., (2007), Sapkota (2013); Rahman et al., (2016)

· Employees adverse perception on the use of e-HRM systems.

Yusoff et al., (2010); Yusoff et al., (2015)

· Employees’ resistance.

Davoudi and Fartash (2012)

· Limited communication between the employees.

Oiry (2009); Bondarouk and Ruël (2013)

· Difficulties in organisation to identify the talented people.

Reddick (2009); Dhamija (2012)

· Lack of theoretical models explaining the implementation of e-HRM systems.

Yusoff et al., (2010); Rimi et al., (2017)

· Implementing e-HRM systems depend on the context where the system will be implemented.

Makkar and Sanjeev (2014).

· Neglecting HR managers in the e-HRM implementation process.

Parry and Tyson (2011); Wright (2008).

· High cost of implementing e-HRM systems in developing countries.

Reddick (2009); Tansley et al., (2013)

· Corruption in developing countries.

Joseph and Ezzedeen (2009); Islam (2016).

· Power game clash.

Oswal and Narayanappa (2015).

Table 1: Summarising the Research Issues

3. Theoretical Underpinning: TOE and DOI Supporting the Development of the Conceptual Model

In analysing the literature, the authors found two studies explaining the implementation of e-HRM with the TOE theory (e.g. see Awa et al., 2017; Troshani et al., 2011; Soto-Acosta et al., (2016 ) and one study examining e-HRM using DOI (e.g. see Parry and Wilson, 2008).

For instance:

· The study conducted by Troshani et al., (2011) shows that the implementation of e-HRM becomes increasingly important to help the organisations in managing human assets. The study investigates the factors influencing e-HRM implementation in public organisations. The factors are determined based on TOE theory, technological, organisational, and environmental factors, and the data collected by conducting 11 interviews in 16 different organisations in Australia. The data analysed shows that the technologic and organisational factors have more influence than the environmental factors in implementing e-HRM. Additionally, another study on e-HRM implementation conducted by Lippert and Swiercz (2005) illustrates the relationship between the implementation of e-HRM and the employees trust in organisations. The data collected using 20 interviews in different organisations implementing e-HRM. The results revealed that the relationship between trust and the TOE theory factors (technological, organisational and environmental factors) are significant, which means that the employees trust the system to a high extent.

· The theory of diffusion of innovation is considered as one of the most useful theories to implement technology or innovation in organisations (Hang Xiong, Diane Paynea, Stephen Kinsellac (2016). It is a basic theory in technology adoption process, as it deals with user acceptance and organisation acceptance for new technology. In the context of e-HRM, the authors identified one study implementing the DOI theory. The study conducted by Parry and Wilson (2008), this study investigates the reason motivate the organisation to implement online recruitment from organisational perspective. The study developed a model and the data was collected by in-depth interviews to understand these factors. The study found out that the organisation website and the commercial jobs are different; also, the competitive advantage and the compatibility for job boards are positive.

3.1 Proposed Conceptual Model for E-HRM Implementation in Government Sector

Based on the theories supporting this research, the authors study the benefits, barriers and risks related to e-HRM from seven dimensions such as, Technological, Economic, Organisations, Political, Legal, Environmental and Social:

· Technological Dimension: To increase the efficiency of HR departments and its related functions (e.g. recruitment and selection, training and development, management performance, job design and analysis, pay structure and employees relationship), e-HRM plays a significant role (Morris et al., 2009; Voermans and van Veldhoven, 2008) in achieving the organisational success. The implementation of technology in HRM increases the productivity, speed and efficiency of the department. The aim is to minimise total cost and improve productivity and speed up the overall functions that HR department performs (Marler and Fisher, 2009; Ostermann et al., 2013). The technological factor in TOE theory relates to investigating the technological context in the organisation regarding the software, hardware and equipment in organisations (Yerkes, 2003). Thus, HR departments in government organisations need to focus on hiring expert IT managers which have the required expertise to manage IT facilities e.g. IT infrastructure, software development, employees IT training to use the system and the hardware equipment (Yusoff and Ramayah, 2012). In addition, as organisations introduce new systems based on different technologies; employees face challenges to adapt to these different technological changes that may affect their individual performance and overall organisational functioning (Armstrong, 2016). Table 2 presents the technological dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Technological Dimension Factors

Benefits

Data Centralisation

Armstrong (2017)

Alignment of HR Strategy with HR Department

Ruël et al., (2007)

IT Infrastructure

Reddick (2009)

IT Support

Marler and Fisher (2009)

Barriers

Quality of Application


Secrecy of Data

Cronin et al., (2006)

Duration of Implementation

Heikkilä and Smale (2010)

Risks

Lack of Resources

Yusoff and Ramayah, (2012).

Training Programs

Lukaszewski et al., (2008)

Security Risk

Armstrong (2016)

Table 2: Technological Dimension Factors

· Environmental Dimension: According to Milliman and Clair (1996), managing environmental factors are the ever challenging issues in Human Resource Management (Armstrong, 2016; Werner and DeSimone, 2009). For Frenandez et al., (2003) apart from culture, major external environmental issues includes global warming; climate change and greenhouse gases are the. Nowadays, the organisations need to react to the environmental issues to be good corporate citizen (Burchell and cook, 2006), to attract the attention of focus group of customers (Armstrong, 2014); and be competitive in the market. Armstrong (2009) argued the implementation of environmental management policy enable a firm to minimises pollution, save energy and resources (Leonidou et al., 2013), and contribute for minimising and mitigating environmental risks (Ruël, 2004). For the case of external factors, the external stakeholder like government or other relevant ministries expect higher performance within a short time frame, whereas, to obtain benefits from newly setup e-HRM takes long time (Strohmier, 2009). Therefore, external parties may not be interested in setting up the environmental friendly e-HRM system. Moreover, the employees and organisational system may not be effective enough to meet the environmental requirements (Kulkarni, 2014). Table 3 presents the environmental dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Environmental Dimension Factors

Benefits

Paper Work Reduction

Ngai and Wat (2006)

Employees Challenge Environment

Martin and Reddington (2010)

Barriers

Cultural Effect

Strohmeier (2009)

Employees Support


Manager Support

Reddick (2009)

Risks

Employee Attitude

Armstrong (2009)

Organisational Change

Armstrong, 2014

Table 3: Environmental Dimension Factors

· Organisational Dimension: The human resource department is an integral part of an organisation that has connection with the rest of the departments within the organisation. Therefore, any change in the HR department will influence and cause further changes in the other departments and raise different issues in different functions within the organisation (Abbas and Asghar, 2010). Managerial issue(s) is the most challenging factor that an organisation faces in implementing e-HRM. An organisation faces some managerial issues that can be associated with internal and external factors in implementing e-HRM (Ruël et al., 2004; Waiganjo et al., 2012). The organisational perspective is involved as ‘the organisational context’ in TOE theory, with relevant characteristics, for example, the structure of the organisations, the communication process and the organisations size (Hall, 2009). Table 4 presents the organisational dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Organisational Dimension Factors

Benefits

IT Knowledge and Skills

Gardner et al., (2003)

E-HRM Communication


Commitment towards e-HRM Strategy

Olivas-Luján et al., (2007)

Managers and Employees Training


Barriers

Role Conflict

Lukaszewski et al., (2008)

Employee Resistance

Teo et al., (2007)

Understanding of System

Jaradat (2013)

Risks

Management Change

Armstrong (2009)

Employee Satisfaction and Motivation

Jaradat (2013)

Employees’ Perception

Thiruselvi et al., (2013)

Table 4: Organisatinal Dimension Factors

· Political Dimension: Organisations are affected by external forces like political or government decisions that require human resource managers to deal with external challenges (Smale and Heikkilä, 2009; Bondarouka and Heijdenb, 2009). It is because several stakeholders are involved in transforming from general HR system to e-HRM system (Wright and Dyer, 2000). In public organisations in developing countries like Bangladesh political influence in the implementation e-HRM include obstacles in getting budget from the government, influence of labour union and organisational capability to change in terms of a new system (Absar et al., 2012). Table 5 presents the political dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Political Dimension Factors

Benefits

Financial support

Schwester (2009)

Legalisation and the necessary regulation

Gil-Garcia et al., (2009)

Barriers

Power game change

Beulen (2009)

Decision-making

Beulen (2009)

Risks

Resistance to change

Jarada (2013)

Political instability

Smale and Heikkilä (2009)

Annual budget decreased

Parry and Wilson (2011)

Table 5: Political Dimension Factors

· Economical Dimension: The economical perspectives could be considered as an internal or external environment factors in organisation (Li, 2011; Luckaszewski et al., 2008). As internal perspective in DOI theory, organisations implement e-HRM in order to reduce the cost, as fewer people are needed; it also reduces the costly training sessions because the companies can conduct the sessions on online instead of class room based training (Ruël et al., 2004). In order to implement e-HRM, organisations need to make sure that it has enough resources and capabilities that increase the overall costs (Olivas-Luján et al., 2007). The higher a number of available resources, ideally, the more possible it is for new technology to be implemented (Parker et al., 2000). In line this view, Lau and Hooper (2009) claims that budget and funding is one the pivotal factors in order to implement e-HRM system successfully as it needs huge setup costs. Panayotopoulou et al., (2007) also argued that the initial investment for e-HRM is the main barrier for organisation as well as managing and maintaining costs. Table 6 presents the economic dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Economic Dimension Factors

Benefits

Reduced costs

Jaradat (2013)

Return on Investment

Kiem (2009)

Organisation saving budget


Barriers

Lack of budget

Gardner et al., (2003)

Maintenance cost


Lack of expertise

Smale and Heikkila (2009)

Risks

Government funding

Armstrong (2009)

Software funding

Jaradat (2013)

Table 6: Economic Dimension Factors

· Legal Dimension: HR managers are responsible for dealing with different legal issues to manage their daily operations (Byers, 2005). For instance, organisations need to formulate discrimination policies that are in line with the laws of the country and made available to all employees by e-Technology in public sector organisations in developing countries such as Bangladesh. Public organisations need to make sure that they are following and abiding by the relevant labour and employment laws in managing the overall functions. For example, the contents of a job advertisements should be according to the employment laws of relevant country, it should be fair and equal for all (Hall, 2009). In addition, the regulations regarding e-HRM implementation postulated by the top managers and HR managers in the organisations following, the legal perspective can fit with internal factors affecting the organisational environment which is a part of the DOI theory. Table 7 presents the legal dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Legal Dimension Factors

Benefits

Management Support

Armstrong (2009)

Data Acquiescence

Renwick et al., (2008)

Clear Legalisation

Frenandez et al., (2003)

Barriers

Power Game

Armstrong (2008)

Data Protection

Oiry (2009)

Data Privacy

Ruël (2007)

Risks

Fair Recruitment

Armstrong (2009)

Legal Requirements Electronically

Heikkilä and Smale (2010)

Table 7: Legal Dimension Factors

· Social Dimension: Technology influences the organisation to alters human resource practices or behaviours such as changing the way recruitment and selection (Yadav, 2013), training and development (Salas et al., 2012), and compensation strategies are organised and deployed through e-HRM system. The evidence suggest that technology alters the social interaction in organisations or (Stone and Lukaszewski, 2009) or has capacity to inluence organisational culture, hence this fits with DOI theory as cultural diffusion which may happen based on the new technology (Ji et al., 2011). Table 8 presents the social dimension factors based on benefits, barriers and risks:

Social Dimension Factors

Benefits

Easy Access to Government Information

Gueutal and Falbe (2005)

Time and Money Saving

Bondarouk (2010)

Social Responsibility


Barriers

Reduce Social Interaction

Kehoe et al., (2005)

Decrease the Organisation Productivity

Guetta and Fable, (2005)

Risks

Face-to-Face-Communication

Mehdi et al., (2012)

Unemployment Rate

Chen and Perry, (2003)

Table 8: Social Dimension Factors

Based on the foregoing literature findings, Figure 1 presents the proposed conceptual model for e-HRM implementation in government organisations in the developing regions.

Figure 1: Proposed Conceptual Model

4. Research Methodology

Selecting and choosing a suitable research method is the main step towards research design (Mordi et al, 2010). For instance, Yin (2009) itemised the steps as follow: 1) Specify the exact research question for the study; 2) The level to which the environment of research can be controlled by the authors; 3) and how much of the research conducted is concerning a contemporary or historical events. The three steps from Yin (2009) present the justification for the chosen approach in this study. In fact, such an approach offers the researchers the opportunity to access real life data. The approach employed in the study is the inductive (Creswell, 2008; Saunders et al., 2015). Inductive approach is used for exploring data and to develop theories that will subsequently be related to the literature. The authors decided to interview some staff members and key personnel responsible for decision-making in the organisation. The authors were interested in their experience and approaches about e-HRM used in their respective departments. It was important to identify their problems and how they coped with these and how it has impacted on their day-to-day activities.

4.1 Data Collection

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of e-HRM systems in government organisations in a developing nation. Data collection is the process through which data is obtained for the purpose of answering the research questions and objectives of the study. It is also described as a method of considering the way the data and the information will be collected to achieve the aim of the study (Bryman, 2012). In this study, the authors rely on two resources to collect the data and the information for the research purposes. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used in the study. Firstly, primary data that provide importantly and relevant data source was used to gather first-hand data that has not been generated by others. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the study. This data collection technique provided rich data for answering the research question and achieving the research objectives. Moreover, documents and records from the two case organisations were also examined.

· The Interview Process: The main data collection involved thirty (30) respondents. Fifteen (15) respondents each were drawn from the two organisations (Ministry of Public Administration [MOPA] and Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MOFA]) using semi-structured interviews. The authors designed a list of ‘themes’ and questions to be covered. These questions varied from respondent to respondent. Table 9 presents the case organisations and their respective interviewees.

Code No.

Organisation MOFA

Length of Service

Code No.

Organisation MOPA

Length of Service

1

Director of Senior Management Operation (SMO)

21 and over

2

Director of Operation Management

21 years and over

3

Secretary (Chief Training &Consular)

16 – 20

4

Assistant General Manager

16 – 20 years

5

Personnel Director P&O & ICT

21 years and over

6

Deputy General Manager

21 years and over

7

Director General (Admin & ICT)

21 and over

8

Head of IT

21 years and over

9

Deputy Director (Finance)

21 and over

10

Assistant Head of HR and Administration

21 years and over

11

Director General (Research)

21 and over

12

Deputy Head of HR and Administration

21 years and over

13

IT Manager

16-20 years

14

Training and Recruitment Manager

16-20 years

15

HR Manager

16-20 years

16

HR Manager

16-20 years

17

HR supervisor (Field Staff)

11-15 years

18

HR supervisor (Field Staff)

11-15 years

19

HR supervisor (Home Staff)

11-15 years

20

HR supervisor (Home Staff)

11-15 years

21

Line manager Procurement

11-15 years

22

Line manager Procurement

11-15 years

23

HR office assistant

6-10 years

24

HR office assistant

6-10 years

25

Finance officer

1-5 years

26

Finance officer

1-5 years

27

PA HR director

1-5 years

28

PA HR director

1-5 years

29

HR officer

6-10 years

30

HR officer

6-10 years

Table 9: Organisations and list of Interviewees

5. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS

5.1 Case Organisations – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) & Ministry of Public Administration (MOPA)

· Background to MOFA: MOFA develops the internal and external policies of the republic of Bangladesh. The ministry has around 3000 employees. In the MOFA, critical and essential tasks are performed, thus there is a need to utilise the human energy focusing on achieving the ministry goals. For the latter purpose, the ministry invested in implementing e-HRM systems in 2011. The authors aim to understand the benefits gained and the barriers that MOFA is facing after three years of implementing. E-HRM systems were introduced in order to ensure that the HR department is efficient and the ministry keeps achieving their targeted objectives. E-HRM is subject to rules and regulations to which it must conform in order to ensure its legitimacy. · Background to the MOPA: MOPA plays a significant role in effectively managing personnel management to ensure dynamic public service in all spheres of the state. MOPA engages in activities such as creating and cancelling posts, approving the organisational structure, appointing government employees, approving promotions, formulating rules, imparting trainings to staffs and officials, enhancing skills, transferring of personnel, ensuring discipline at work, and continuing to create necessary manpower for the government. For the purpose of evaluating the Government Officials, the Ministry has introduced performance based evaluation system (PBES) instead of existing annual confidential report (ACR) system.

5.2 Validating e-HRM Implementation

· Technological Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 10:

Technological Dimension Factors

Factors

Example MOFA Interviewees’ Responses

Example MOPA Interviewees’ Responses

Benefits

Data Centralisation

“The introduction of the e-HRM has been that all our activities can now be carried out centrally. This has relief us of having to run from one point to another while doing our work. I can confidently see all the records that I needed to see simply by clicking on a computer button.”

MOPA “implemented e-HRM system, which helped the HR department to centralise all the data in one system and further supports the department in managing the technology and the employees at the sometime”.

Alignment of HR Strategy with HR Department

“Since the implementation of e-HRM system in our ministry, the HR managers were able to align the HR department strategy with the ministry strategy which gives the HR department the ability to figure the problems and solve it instantly”.

“Implementing e-HRM has helped the HR managers in identifying the problems within the organisation in order to solve them to make sure that the HR outcomes met the organisational goal”.

IT Infrastructure

“The IT infrastructure is an essential element to the success of implementing e-HRM systems, actually the infrastructure in the ministry of foreign affairs is very sophisticated regarding the programs, computers, networks and expertise to cope with digital world”

“As an IT manager, I always make sure that the IT infrastructure up to date, so it is easy to integrate IS the ministry want to implement including e-HRM systems”

IT Support

“… at MOFA the IT support is brilliant. The support system began from the conception of the e-HRM idea. We provide day-to-day assistance to members of staff using the system. We also support all staff members that will like to look at their information of the system”.

“The IT support group has been the main source of support for us, and they have helped us at every stage of the e-HRM operation”.

Barriers

Quality of Application

“The design content of e-HRM system in our ministry was good, the design structure was very simple and the employees know how to deal with the system easily which reduce the training sessions to train and teach the employees that save money”

“From experience we know that design is very important, so we make sure that we went for the best design in the market. The best design are those that are user friendly and I can assure you that most of our employees find the design here very user-friendly”

Secrecy of Data

“The Information, which is stored on the e-HRM systems, is very sensitive and highly classified, in result, the system needs to be highly secure, but the ministry security system is not sophisticated”.

“We need to work harder to ensure the security of data on the system, there are a problem regarding the privilege for the managers, they can manipulate the data as they want which affect the employees trust regarding the system”.


“The ministry IT department was not careful enough to implement the system within the time scheduled from the decision makers that was enough, they did not take their job seriously despite the full support they have from the decision makers and the high management, further, they cost the financial department a lot of extra money which affect the ministry budget”

“The ministry fails to meet the dead line scheduled to implement e-HRM systems, which create an unstable situation in the ministry, the information was prepared and ready to move to the new system warehouse, this delay cost the IT department its reputation and cause a big hassle in the ministry and cost the financial department extra thousand pounds”

Risks

Lack of Resources

“The ministry has installed e-HRM systems successfully, but in the long term the ministry may not provide a consultant to report the outcomes of the system, as the ministry has no such similar resources”.

“The ministry is suffering from the lack of talented people in managing and running the system that may result in system failure”.

Training Programs

“One of the risks of implementing e-HRM is neglecting the importance of the training programs for the employees, the ministry should improve and evaluate their programs continuously”.

“The training programmes should be improved and updated to cover all the updated in the systems done by the programmers to keep the employees updated”.

Security Risk

“After implementing the e-HRM systems, the system should secure the system from any outside attack (hackers) due to the sensitive information stored on the system”.

“The ministry should improve the security of the ministry e-HRM systems, by recruiting IT specialist”.

Table 10: Interviewees Quotes’ for Technological Dimension Factors

· Environmental Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 11:

Environmental Dimension Factors

Factors



Benefits


“In our ministry, the decision to implement the e-HRM systems was correct and true, because using HR automated systems helps the organisation to reduce the paper work, eliminate the waste of papers in organisations”.

“Implementing e-HRM systems has a huge impact on the ministry environment, the managers and employees start to rely on the automated HR systems to execute their work instead of the paper and the pen which achieve the environmental goal of the ministry which is a green environment”.

Employees Challenge Environment

“One of the important benefits of implementing e-HRM is the positive challenge environment that created among the employees to cope with the new system, the employees get motivated to learn how to use the new system by intending the training sessions assigned by the ministry”.

“The staff in our ministry has highly motivated to attend the training sessions and the introductory classes to have a full understanding of the new system to be able to contribute to the organisation performance”.

Barriers

Cultural Effect

“The implementation of e-HRM systems affect negatively on the communication between employees, because the intending of e-HRM training sessions based on the employees free time, which make the communication between the employees less, which affect the job environment less fruitful”.

“The implementation of e-HRM in the ministry of MOPA has raised the negative attitude of the employees; the employees have shown to be unfriendly to the e-HRM system implemented, which influence the ministry performance and productivity”.

Employees Support

“Since the implementation of e-HRM systems, as a line manager, I could not support and supervise my employees in a good way to perform their job in a perfect way, which could affect the ministry performance”.

“As a manger in the MOPA ministry, the implementation of e-HRM system has kept me busy by monitoring and evaluating the system, and deliver these reports to the decision makers, instead of conducting my regular tasks in supporting and guiding the employees”.

Manager Support

“The managers should have the needed support from the decision makers by giving them the opportunity to take their decisions on the organisation interest, but unfortunately, the managers are guided from the decision makers in the ministry to achieve their own interest”.

“Unfortunately, some of the managers were excluded from the implementation process, which affect negatively on the implemented system process, some of the functions were not executed properly, which cause a lot of trouble in the system”.

Risks

Employee Attitude

“One of the risk in the future is hiring new employees who has no experience in using e-HRM systems and not able to use the system, the ministry have to train them and teach them how to use the system that cost the ministry time and money”.

“Implementing e-HRM system in the ministry is very beneficial for the ministry, but the risk comes from the new hired employees who do not have experience in using the system, the ministry afraid that these employees may not be able to use the system, or they might take longer time than expected in learning how to use e-HRM systems”.


“Since the implementation of e-HRM systems in organisations, the interaction between the managers and employees has been changed, the traditional communication and interaction turn into web- based communication, and the results influence the performance negatively”.

“The interaction and the communication between the managers and employees change dramatically, the traditional interaction, face-to-face- interactions become very low, and the interaction start to be on the intranet network via internal chatting and e-mail system that built in the ministry, this affect the performance in a negative way”.

Table 11: Interviewees Quotes’ for Environmental Dimension Factors

· Organisational Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 12:

Organisational Dimension Factors

Factors



Benefits


“The Ministry are conducting a training sessions for the employees in the ministry to distribute the knowledge of them, to increase their knowledge about the e-HRM systems and enhance the employees competencies in order to ensure the success of the implemented e-HRM systems”.

“In our ministry, there is a special care about the individual level of knowledge regarding the e-HRM system implemented, because it is the duty for the organisations to increase and enhance the competencies level for the employees to be able to use the system efficiently, as well as, the productivity and performance of the ministry will be better”.

e-HRM Communication

“E-HRM systems include communication system to enable the employees and the managers to contact each other via the system platform, this way in communication improve the efficiency and the productivity of the ministry in general”.

“The communication system in the ministry has enabled the top management to inform the employees about the organisational development (rules and regulations) which keep the employees updated to help them to accomplish their work perfectly”.

Commitment towards e-HRM Strategy

“The Ministry works hard to make every manager and employee commitment to the e-HRM project from the beginning by taking a part in the e-HRM implementation process to ensure the success of the implementation”.

“The top managers and decision makers are involved in the implementation process to ensure the full alignment between the ministry strategy and the HR strategy, which consider a key point in implementing e-HRM correctly”.


“The proper training for the HR managers will enable them to handle and fulfil their job easily, and it will give the time for the managers to support and guide the employees to do their job perfectly, to achieve the ministry goals”.

“The ministry provide and support the employees with training sessions to help them accomplish their managerial task easily and fast and with less help from the top managers based on the e-learning sessions they had”.

Barriers

Role Conflict

“The HR specialist who was responsible for the implementation process of e-HRM systems in our ministry does not involve the IS experts in the implementation process, which create a role of conflict”.

“The HR managers unintentionally did not identify the different needs of different stakeholder, which create a role of conflict”.

Employee Resistance

“The ministry witnessed that some employees have resistance to the new e-HRM systems, because of the fear from the new system”.

“The employees unfortunately showing resistance to the new system of e-HRM, thinking they will have more load in work, which let them avoid the e-HRM system”.

Understanding of System

“The ministry has succeeded in implementing e-HRM systems and automated the HR role, but the HR expert failed to turn these automated HR into strategic one”.

“There is need to make all the employees aware of any new system that will be introduced. If employees are not aware, then they are likely to work against the system”.

Risks

Management Change

“… the last time our director was changed, most of the line managers were also changed at the request of the new director. This affects most of us because we have to deal now with new line manager who in most cases have a different view to the ways things are done”.

“…. the change of management is always a problem in this organisation. I remember two years ago when our director retire, the new director insisted that we have to change our work pattern and he also move all the line managers from one point to another. Virtually, it appears as if all the employees have to change their role. It was very stressful to most of us”.

Employee Satisfaction and Motivation

“The ministries should keep in touch with the employees to ensure that the employees are satisfied and to avoid any future risks to avoid the employees’ resistance that will affect the e-HRM implementation”.

“If I am not satisfied with the job I am asked to do then I will not feel happy and I will not work very well. I always like to make sure that the task I am asked to perform is what I like doing”.

Table 12: Interviewees Quotes’ for Organisational Dimension Factors

· Political Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 13:

Political Dimension Factors

Factors



Benefits

Financial Support

“Yes, our government will be financially benefitted and will decrease the cost of admin and help to cut the budget cost. Now a day’s services are very slow. Hopefully, it will speed up the services”

“The implementation of e-HRM is mainly a political decision. This decision is fraught with many challenges; however, the success of the system often vindicates the government that implement it”.

Legalisation and the Necessary Regulation

“If government implemented e-HRM they do not need to publish the information of changes in rules and regulation in the newspaper or electronic media. Government will get political and financial benefit by adopting this technology”.

“it is interesting that we can now read government legislation online. In the past, government legislation and gazettes will be printed and posted to all the various units and departments. This cost a lot of money and time, but he introduction of e-HRM meant that government gazettes can now be accessed by all the units and department at their own convenience”.

Barriers

Power Game Change

Many projects and system have been discontinued because of power game. Successive government will hardly continue the project of their predecessor. Every new government want to bring in new project and system in order to show that they are in control. The main aim is to defeat the project introduce by previous government. This is part of the power struggle in Bangladesh”.

“Constant change in government and government policies are significant factor that affect the implementation of e-HRM. If this power tussle should continue them, the e-HRM system can be in danger”.

Decision-making

“Problem with the current poll of staff in the organisation as most of them reluctant to leave this slow HR system as they getting more benefit and political involvement of employees is another obstacle”.

“In this country, most people have allegiance or affiliation with a particular political party. This means that they hold strong political view. So whenever, a party that they do not support is in power, they have tendency to be disloyal and destructive. This means that they can do anything to frustrate the plan of the new government”.

Risks

Resistance to Change

“It is very risky to implement e-HRM as there was no cooperation between the government and the opposition party on the programme”.

“Opposition party has constantly opposed the implementation of e-HRM; therefore it is likely that when they get into power they will stop the programme”.

Political Instability

“The political instability is considered a huge barrier and obstacles in achieving the goal of implementing the e-HRM systems, the political managers are responsible for making the policies and commitment that is the basic for the system”.

“The instability of government and political situation is affecting the implementation of the HR system negatively, the policy maker change which resulted in making new rules and regulations that affect the e-HRM system badly”.

Table 13: Interviewees Quotes’ for Political Dimension Factors

· Economical Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 14:

Economical Dimension Factors

Factors



Benefits

Reduced Costs

“… it is anticipated that the introduction of e-HRM will save this ministry over 20% of its annual labour cost. This is a conservative estimate based on the benefits we have seen from other parts of the world”.

“Operational cost is huge in our organisation. For several years now, we have only managed to settle recurrent bills without embarking on any new developmental project due to huge overhead cost. I am sure the introduction of e-HRM will help us to reduce this high recurrent cost and focus on capital development”.

Barriers

Lack of Budget

“The HR departments faced a problem in applying the e-HRM systems, due to the shortage of money in the ministry budget, which lead a delay in the implementation process”.

“The ministry has faced a shortage in financing the e-HRM project in the middle of the implementation process, which resulted in late implementing the e-HRM system”.

Maintenance Cost

“The cost of maintenance to keep the e-HRM systems running smoothly is a significant issue faced the organisations, the cost of maintaining the system was high, the IT specialist should maintain the software’s and the hardware’s continuously”

“There is a lack of maintenance culture in this place. The management and government do not so much about what happen after the purchase of equipment. This ought not to be so if we are to keep the equipment working in the long term”.

Risks

Government Funding

‘’The differentiation of funding linked to specific infrastructure sectors, financing parameters and political setting could be envisaged.’

‘’The infrastructure sector in which a specific project will operate is an important consideration like political stability and broader security concerns can prove to be important barriers to investment.’’

Software Funding

‘’To make infrastructure investment work for development, like software development beyond the expansion of infrastructure networks, it is crucial to develop sound investment linkages with other it organisations.’’

‘’Public sector projects have ultimately failed because of end-user opposition. There is a need to develop better systems for communication with the general public in regard to these projects, and for involving end-users in project planning, design and monitoring’’

Table 14: Interviewees Quotes’ for Economical Dimension Factors

· Legal Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 15:

Legal Dimension Factors

Factors



Benefits

Management Support

“The decision makers in the ministry have done their best to articulate the needed regulation for the mangers to enable them to explain the regulation regarding the new e-HRM system to increase the HR department efficiency and the implementation of the system is successfully done”.

“The board of directors provided a legal framework the will protect all the end users of the programme. The framework guarantees that employee will not face litigation when using the programme according to specification”.

Data Acquiescence

“This process is very good for our organisation because it help us to minimise the number of complaints due to procedural mistakes”

“Employees are protected from litigation arising from the job provided they follow the rule and procedure set out by the organisation”.

Clear Legalisation

“…the decision makers do not put a clear regulations and legislation to be the reference for all over the ministry, which affect the security of the stored data due the sensitivity of this information”.

“… the ministry does not set up the needed regulations when the e-HRM implemented, the work in the organisations has affected negatively, each employee and manager does not knows his privilege, which influence the privacy for the employees”.

Barriers

Power Game

“It can a serious issue for some employees that have different view with management because management can use this to frustrate them and make the ministry uncomfortable for them”.

“The political system has a great influence on the e-HRM implementation process in the ministry, the game power and the political power over the decision makers influence the e-HRM implementation process negatively”.

Data Protection

“The ministry has not set clear policies showing the way to protect the data; the data could be hacked from outside and, unfortunately, the security level in the ministry is too low”.

“Some people are very sceptical about having their personal data in a programme that can be hacked by some individual. So, it is important to assure the employees that their data is well protected”.

Data Privacy

“There was a lack of adequate policy detailing how data privacy will be ensured. This is way some employees are worried about who may access their data”.

“The ministry policies that were launched were not clear, as a result, the fear and between the employees affect their work negatively and might affect the e-HRM system outcomes”.

Risks

Fair Recruitment

“After implementing e-HRM systems in the ministry, the ministry start to advertise the job vacancies on the ministry web page, however, the people who do not have internet at home would not be able to follow our advertisement. This could be a risk for the ministry to exclude talent people who do not have Internet at home”.

“The ministry advertise the job opportunities on the ministry web page; this could be negative to exclude a large scale of people who do not have Internet at home, and missing talent people who could be beneficial to the work”.

Legal Requirements Electronically

“Unfortunately, the advertisement online do not give the people the opportunity to apply, which called inequality or discrimination against the people”.

“The advertisement online could cause a kind of inequality or discrimination against the disable people who might could not apply for the internet, which against the Bangladesh law”.

Table 15: Interviewees Quotes’ for Legal Dimension Factors

· Social Dimension: The interview discussions in the form of the quotes are presented in Table 16:

Social Dimension Factors

Factors



Benefits


“One of the main social benefit of e-HRM is that it allow access to information that are hitherto not available to the public”

“E-HRM has given the public the chance to see what their government is doing. Many people can access information on tenders for procurement in the ministry and this make government practice more transparent”.


‘’It improves transparency by providing more and better information to parliaments and to the public, and has the potential to improve public management and efficiency.’’

‘’It is important to develop incentives to motivate civil servants and politicians to change their behaviour.’’

Barriers


“We need to be very careful after introducing e-HRM not to lose our production level because of less interaction among employees”.

’There is no one model of performance budgeting; countries need to adapt their approach to the relevant political and institutional context’’

Decrease the Organisation Productivity

“There is a potential jeopardy to e-HRM implementation that company may lose organisational productivity due to less social interaction”.

“It has been mentioned that organisation can loss it productivity level after implementing e-HRM but we are very careful that is not the case in our organisation”.

Risks

Face-to-Face-Communication

“It will reduce the face to face communication between the employees and the people in a society which could lead to organisational and individual bad performance”.

’Strengthening competitive pressures among providers of the services and, where not incompatible with equity considerations, containing the demand for public services’’

Unemployment Rate

“Government needs to make sure that e-HRM do not lead to high unemployment in the community”.

“I am worried about the impact of e-HRM on the level of employment. Our society needs government to recruit more young people, but with e-HRM we may not be able to do so. So, there must be plan to get more young people to work after the introduction of e-HRM”.

Table 16: Interviewees Quotes’ for Social Dimension Factors

6. DISCUSSIONS

Through this research, the authors offer a broader understanding of the concept of e-HRM and its implementation in developing region’s government sector. The latter is achieved by developing, proposing and validating a model presenting factors influencing e-HRM implementation in government organisation. The authors came across several issues while investigating on the implementation of e-HRM systems the two case studies (MOFA and MOPA). The key issues that derived from empirical data are summarised below:

· The cases of MOFA and MOPA has brought to fore the fact that these two ministries implement e-HRM systems for many reasons containing, technical, environmental, organisational, political, economic, legal and social; these seven perspectives are presented in the conceptual framework. These factors presented the internal and the external pressures that influencing the e-HRM implementation in government organisations.

· In both case studies; the cost reduction, better HR support, ease access to data and information, encouraging the IT usage, fast delivery for services, centralising the data, improving the knowledge of employees, clear legislations and rules, aligning the HR strategy with organisation strategy, etc.; these are an example of the benefits that motivate the decision makers in MOFA and MOPA to implement e-HRM systems in their organisations, the benefits categorised based on the seven perspectives mentioned before. Thereafter, barriers such as employees support, data privacy, and risks such as fair recruitment, political instability also included; in addition, many risks have been added as lack of funding, political instability, etc. in the model to have better understanding of the consequences for implementing e-HRM systems besides the motivation to implement such a system.

· MOFA and MOPA took the decision to implement e-HRM systems in their organisations after developing the IT infrastructure and introducing the system to their employees. To have a positive perception about the new system, they have invested money and time in order to integrate the e-HRM system in the two ministries.

· The empirical results revealed the consequences of implementing e-HRM system represented by the benefits, barriers, and risks which included in the seven perspectives; technological, environmental, organisational, political, economic, legal and social give a comprehensive, precise understanding for the circumstances that resulted from the implementing e-HRM systems.

· The empirical findings also revealed that some factors were not validated i.e. ROI and clear legislation. For the barrier factors, there was one factor not validated which is the quality of applications under technology perspectives. Finally, the risk factors represent annual budget decrease which is a political perspective. Thus, some new factors has shown after analysing the interviews, i.e. the in-house software as a technological benefit, as well as, another factor revealed in the organisational barrier such as qualified applications. Lastly, another factor added to the political risks is corruption.

Tables 17 to 19 illustrate the mains findings from two case studies organisations.

BENEFITS

Factors

Validated

Summary

Yes

No

Technological Factors

Data Centralisation

· All factors validated.

· New factor identified e.g. In-house software

Strategic Fit

IT Infrastructure

IT Support

Environmental Factors



Employee Challenge Environment

Organisational Factors



E-HRM Communication

Commitment towards e-HRM Strategies


Political

Factors

Financial Support


Legislation and necessary regulations

Economic Factors

Reduce Costs

· Two factors validated.

· One factor not validated

Return on Investment (ROI)

Organisation Saving Budget

Legal

Factors

Management Support

· Two factors validated

· One factor not validated

Data Acquiescence

Clear Legislation

Social

Factors




Social Responsibility

Table 17: Summairsing the Benefits (MOFA and MOPA)

BARRIERS

Factors

Validated

Summary

Yes

No

Technological Factors

Quality of Applications

· Two factors validated.

· One factor was not validated

Secrecy of Data



Culture Effect


Employee Support

·

Government Stability

·

Manager Support

·


Role Conflict


· New factor identified e.g. Qualified Applications

Employee Resistance

·

Understanding the System

·

Political

Factors

Power Game Change


Decision Making

·

Economic Factors

Lack of Budget


Maintenance Costs

Lack of Expertise

Legal

Factors

Power Game


Data Protection

·

Data Privacy

·

Social

Factors



Reduce the Organisation Productivity

Table 18: Summarising the Barriers (MOFA and MOPA)

RISKS

Factors

Validated

Summary

Yes

No

Technological

Factors

Training Programs


Security Risk

·


Employees Attitude



·


External Experts


Management Change

·

Employees Satisfaction and Motivation

·

Employees Perceptions

·

Political

Factors

Resistance to Change

· Two factors validated

· One factor was not validated

Political Instability

·

Annual Budget Decrease

·

Economic Factors

Government Funding


Software Fund

·

Legal

Factors

Fair Recruitment


Legal Requirement Electronically

·

Social

Factors

Face-to-Face Communication


· New factor identified e.g. Corruption

Unemployment Rate

Table 19: Summarising the Risks (MOFA and MOPA)

7. Conclusions

This research aimed at providing better understanding on the benefits, barriers and risks factors based on seven different dimensions; technological, environmental, organisational, political, economical, legal and social.

7.1 Research Implications to Theory and PracticeThis study contributes to the extant research by developing a comprehensive model of factors influencing e-HRM implementation. A continuous effort from the academician is needed as this topic is still in infancy stage (Parry, 2011). Moreover, the new developed model has not been applied on developing countries context such as Bangladesh. Additionally, from the findings of this study, the authors contribute more knowledge and understanding to the factors that affect the implementation of e-HRM, and this study explain the aspects of the e-HRM systems in Bangladesh. Through the findings of this study, in-depth understanding and more information comes up regarding the factors that influence the e-HRM implementation in Bangladesh. Moreover, determining these factors would help the decision maker to enhance and improve the e-HRM system in Bangladesh, by providing the help and support by taking the right decisions regarding the needs that help the employees and managers to use such a system (Jaradat, 2013).

7.2 Research LimitationsThe theoretical and empirical analysis is limited to the government organisations in Bangladesh. The e-HRM systems is customised and based on the organisations needs and varies across organisations and countries. It is difficult to generalise the outcome of this study to all the organisations in Bangladesh or even to all developing countries in general. In addition, the explanation in the research methods section focused on the qualitative method for collecting the data for this study. The reason behind choosing such a methodology is the beneficial side, which represent rich and in-depth understanding for human and organisational issues, however, the qualitative approach has disadvantages such as time consuming, and the authors spent a lot of time in collecting the data and analysing the results.

7.3 Future Research Recommendations

The empirical data in this study validated the model, thus, the presented research is not an exception, and further development could be done. In the lights of the reflections and the limitations, the authors recommended further research and development to be done as follows:

· Recommendation 1: The model of e-HRM implementation in the government organisations was based on two case organisations in Bangladesh. The authors highlighted that e-HRM systems can be customised based on the organisation needs and the results validate the same point and shows that each government organisation different from the other organisations and even other countries have another requirement to implement e-HRM systems. In addition, the structure and the organisations size are different as well. The authors recommend validating the model in different organisational setting and region.

· Recommendation 2: Many stakeholders indirectly and directly affect the implementation of e-HRM in government case organisations. The other recommendation, that including more stakeholder to ensure that the implementation of e-HRM system are more compatible and integrated, in order to increase the organisations performance and efficiency.

· Recommendation 3: The research results have found that the e-HRM benefits, barriers and risks for the seven perspectives (technological, environmental, organisational, political, economic, legal and social) are very important and significant. The authors recommend that these factors should be tested by distributing a questionnaire among the decision makers, managers and decision makers. This will allow the authors to have a huge number of participants perspectives, as well as, more implications and recommendation could be derived from the analysis of the questionnaire; in order to support the decision makers in taking better decisions regarding the e-HRM implementation.

References

Atsanga, S. C. (2013). Perception Of Effectiveness Of Human Resources Information System By Branch Managers In Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi,).

Awa, H., Ukoha, O. and Igwe, S., (2017) "Revisiting technology-organization- environment (T-O-E) theory for enriched applicability", The Bottom Line, Vol. 30 Issue: 1.

Armstrong, M. (2017). Armstrong’s handbook of strategic human resource management. 14thedn. London: Kogan Page.

Aggarwal, N. and Kapoor, M., 2012. Human resource information systems (HRIS)-Its role and importance in business competitiveness. Gian Jyoti E-Journal, 1(2), pp.1-13.

Al-Dmour, R. H., & Shannak, R. O. (2012). Determinants of the implementation level of electronic human resources management (E-HRM) in Jordanian shareholding companies. European Scientific Journal, 8(17).

Alnaqbi, W. (2011). The relationship between human resource practices and employee retention in public organisations: an exploratory study conducted in the United Arab Emirates.

Bal, P. M., De Jong, S. B., Jansen, P. G., & Bakker, A. B. (2012). Motivating employees to work beyond retirement: A multi‐level study of the role of I‐deals and unit climate. Journal of Management Studies, 49(2), 306-331.

Bal, Y., Bozkurt, S., & Ertemsir, E. (2012). The importance of using human resources information systems (HRIS) and a research on determining the success of HRIS.

Banerji, S. C. (2013). A Study of Issues & Challenges of Implementation of Information Technology in HRM. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3(4), 435-440.

Bondarouk, T. (2011). Chapter 1 Theoretical Approaches to e-HRM Implementations. In Electronic HRM in theory and practice (pp. 1-20). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Bondarouk, T., Parry, E., & Furtmueller, E. (2017). Electronic HRM: four decades of research on adoption and consequences. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(1), 98-131.

Bhuiyan, M. R. U. (2013, July). Application of Human Resource Information System in the firms of Bangladesh and its strategic importance. In Proceedings of Annual Paris Business and Social Science Research Conference (pp. 4-5).

Bhuiyan, S. H. (2011). Modernizing Bangladesh public administration through e-governance: Benefits and challenges. Government Information Quarterly, 28(1), 54-65.

Cardy, R. L., & Miller, J. S. (2005). eHR and performance management: A consideration of positive potential and the dark side. The brave new world of eHR: Human resources management in the digital age, 138-165.

Dulal, H. B., Shah, K. U., Sapkota, C., Uma, G., & Kandel, B. R. (2013). Renewable energy diffusion in Asia: Can it happen without government support?. Energy Policy, 59, 301-311.

DE CIERI, H. E. L. E. N., & SHEEHAN, C. (2008). 16 Performance management in Australia. Performance Management Systems: A Global Perspective, 239.

Dhamija, P. (2012). E-recruitment: a roadmap towards e-human resource management. Researchers World, 3(3), 33.

Foster, S. (2010). Creating HR value through technology. Strategic Direction, 26(8), 3-5.

Grugulis, I. (2016). A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Human Resource Management. SAGE.

Gueutal, D., Stone, L., & Salas, E. (2005). The brave new world of e-HR: Human Resources in the digital age. Pfeiffer, San Francisco.

Guechtouli, M. (2011). E-HRM’s Impact on an Environmental Scanning Process: How Can Technology Support. Human Interaction with Technology for Working, Communicating, and Learning: Advancements: Advancements, 120.

Hustad, E., & Munkvold, B. E. (2005). IT-supported competence management: A case study at Ericsson. Information Systems Management, 22(2), 78-88.

Heikkilä, J. P., Brewster, C., & Mattila, J. (2014). Micro-political conflicts and institutional issues during e-HRM implementation in MNCs: A vendor’s view. In Human Resource Management and Technological Challenges (pp. 1-21). Springer International Publishing.

Hendrickson, A. R. (2003). Human resource information systems: Backbone technology of contemporary human resources. Journal of Labor Research, 24(3), 382-394.

Islam, M. S. (2016). Evaluating the Practices of Electronic Human Resources Management (E-HRM) As a Key Tool of Technology Driven Human Resources Management Function in Organizations-A Comparative Study in Public Sector and Private Sector Enterprises of Bangladesh.

Iosup, A., Ostermann, S., Yigitbasi, M. N., Prodan, R., Fahringer, T., & Epema, D. (2011). Performance analysis of cloud computing services for many-tasks scientific computing. IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 22(6), 931-945.

Jaradat, M. R., Feurtado, J. A., Huang, D., Lu, Y., & Cutler, A. J. (2013). Multiple roles of the transcription factor AtMYBR1/AtMYB44 in ABA signaling, stress responses, and leaf senescence. BMC plant biology, 13(1), 192.

Joseph, R. C., & Ezzedeen, S. R. (2009). E-government and e-HRM in the public sector. In Encyclopedia of Human Resources Information Systems: Challenges in e-HRM (pp. 272-277). IGI Global.

Johnson, R. D., Lukaszewski, K. M., & Stone, D. L. (2016). The evolution of the field of human resource information systems: Co-evolution of technology and HR processes. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 38(28), 533-553.

Kavanagh, M. J., & Thite, M. (2009). Human resource information systems: Basics, applications, and future directions. Sage.

Lievens, F., De Corte, W., & Westerveld, L. (2015). Understanding the building blocks of selection procedures: Effects of response fidelity on performance and validity. Journal of Management, 41(6), 1604-1627.

Olivas-Lujan, M. R., Ramirez, J., & Zapata-Cantu, L. (2007). e-HRM in Mexico: adapting innovations for global competitiveness. International Journal of Manpower, 28(5), 418-434.

Lawler, E. E. (2008). Make human capital a source of competitive advantage.

Lehmann, M., Christensen, P., Du, X., & Thrane, M. (2008). Problem-oriented and project-based learning (POPBL) as an innovative learning strategy for sustainable development in engineering education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 33(3), 283-295.

Mordi, C., Simpson, R., Singh, S., & Okafor, C. (2010). The role of cultural values in understanding the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 25(1), 5-21.

Mordi, C., Mmieh, F., & Ojo, S. I. (2013). An exploratory study of managers' perspective of work‐life balance in Nigeria: A case analysis of the Nigerian banking sector. Thunderbird International Business Review, 55(1), 55-75.

Marler, J. H., & Fisher, S. L. (2013). An evidence-based review of e-HRM and strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 23(1), 18-36.

Makkar, D., & Sanjeev, R. (2014). Determining employees’ perception through effective HRIS: An empirical study.

Marler, J. H., & Parry, E. (2016). Human resource management, strategic involvement and e-HRM technology. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(19), 2233-2253.

Milkovich, G.T., Gerhart, B. and Hannon, J. (1991). ‘The effects of research and development intensity on managerial compensation in large organizations’, Journal of High Technology Management, 2, pp. 133-50.

Oiry, E. (2009). Electronic human resource management: organizational responses to role conflicts created by e‐learning. International Journal of Training and Development, 13(2), 111-123.

Oswal, M. N., & Narayanappa, G. L. (2015). Evolution of HRM to E-HRM to Achieve Organizational Effectiveness and Sustainability. International Journal of Business Administration and Management Research (ISSN Online: 2412 4346), 1(2), 22-26.

Parry, E., & Wilson, H. (2009). Factors influencing the adoption of online recruitment. Personnel Review, 38(6), 655-673.

Parry, E. (2011). An examination of e-HRM as a means to increase the value of the HR function. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(05), 1146-1162.

Parry, E., & Tyson, S. (2011). Desired goals and actual outcomes of e‐HRM. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(3), 335-354.

Reddick, C. G. (2009). Human resources information systems in Texas City governments: Scope and perception of its effectiveness. Public Personnel Management, 38(4), 19-34.

Pulakos, E. D. (2009). Performance management: A new approach for driving business results. John Wiley & Sons.

Parry, E., & Urwin, P. (2011). Generational differences in work values: A review of theory and evidence. International journal of management reviews, 13(1), 79-96.

Parry, E., & Tyson, S. (2011). Desired goals and actual outcomes of e‐HRM. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(3), 335-354.

Reddick, C. G. (2009). The adoption of centralized customer service systems: A survey of local governments. Government Information Quarterly, 26(1), 219-226.

Rasheed, M. I., Aslam, H. D., & Sarwar, S. (2010). Motivational issues for teachers in higher education: A critical case of IUB. Journal of Management Research, 2(2), 1.

Rahman, M. A., Qi, X., & Jinnah, M. S. (2016). Factors affecting the adoption of HRIS by the Bangladeshi banking and financial sector. Cogent Business & Management, 3(1), 1262107.

Rimi, N. N., Yusliza, M., Walters, T., & Basher Rubel, M. R. (2017). The role of devolution in HR‐line manager collaboration and HRM effectiveness relationship: A study of private commercial banks in Bangladesh. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 36(4), 43-51.

Sareen, P., & Subramanian, K. V. (2012). e-HRM: A strategic reveiw. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 2(3), 119.

Soto-Acosta, P., Popa, S., & Palacios-Marqués, D. (2016). E-business, organizational innovation and firm performance in manufacturing SMEs: an empirical study in Spain. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 22(6), 885-904.

Strohmeier, S., & Kabst, R. (2009). Organizational adoption of e-HRM in Europe: An empirical exploration of major adoption factors. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(6), 482-501.

Strohmeier, S. (2007). Research in e-HRM: Review and implications. Human resource management review, 17(1), 19-37.

Samaduzzaman, M., Zaman, F., & Quazi, Z. (2015). Literature Review on Corporate Governance Structure and Performance in Non-Financial Firms in Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, 7(1), 96.

Sinha, B. C., & Mishra, M. (2014). E-HRM tools: An empirical study in select Indian organizations. Indian Journal of Business and Management Invention, 3(9).

Shrivatsava, S. K. (2010). Shaping organizations with eHRM. International Journal of Innovations, Management and Technology, 1(1).

Simón, C., & Esteves, J. (2016). The limits of institutional isomorphism in the design of e-recruitment websites: a comparative analysis of the USA and Spain. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(1), 23-44.

Stone, D. L., & Gueutal, H. (2005). The brave new world of eHR: Human resources management in the digital age. San Francisco, Jossy Boss.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P.

Documents

bura.brunel.ac.uk · Web viewFACTORS INFLUENCING E-HRM IMPLEMENTATION IN GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS: CASE STUDIES FROM BANGLADESH. ABSTRACT. Purpose: This study aims to investigate