Impact of human resources information systems in the military environment

Abstract

The use of information systems (IS) in the security and defence organisations is widespread, but studies highlighting their effectiveness in use are lacking. This paper aims to address this gap by zooming into the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) to identify the factors that influence the personnel in using the system. It also aims to examine the impact of Human Resource Management Information Systems (HRMIS) on MAF personnel. This study reveals that there were seven factors that influenced the personnel’s use of the HRMIS, and the system also had some positive impact on the personnel. Studies looking at the implementation of the IS often involve organisations, with little attention given to the security and defence organisations such as the armed forces. In that regard, the findings of this study are significant because they are derived directly from the system users. This study also contributes to the literature by providing evidence of the use of the IS in a setting that is rarely ventured into by researchers.