Antecedents and Outcome of IT Use: How does HRM Fit in?

Abstract

The use of information systems has been said to enable major improvement for organizations. Besides increasing information processing speed, the use of information technology is said to enable organizations to redesign its internal operations and establish better linkages with external parties. However, research findings paints a more sobering picture on what information technology can deliver. Various factors have been attributed to the inability of organizations to optimally use their information systems. Interesting though, much of the management research examining the use of information technology are in the area of organizational design. One aspect that deserves attention is the human resource practice of organizations. Unfortunately there is paucity of research on the relationship between human resource management practice and the use information technology. This paper argues that there is a need to understand the role of human resource management practice since the actual use of the information systems are individuals. Building upon the concept of role behaviour, it is argued that effective use of information systems can be facilitated through the development of matching human resource management practices. A number of propositions are proposed.