THE DEPLOYMENT OF HUMAN RESOURSES INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE ARABIAN GULF REGION

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the advances in technology, and information technology in particular, Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) have gained increasing popularity among organizations worldwide. The use of HRIS has increased over time; despite this, little is known about the current usage and the impact HRIS has on the general professional standing of the HR professional in the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) region. This empirical research provides critical insights on the deployment of Human Recourses Information Systems (HRIS) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It also contrasts between the usage pattern, barriers for implementation, and critical success factors by organization category. The sample studied includes 102 organizations operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Qatar. Our findings revealed that SME's are using HRIS to manage their operational, managerial, and strategic tasks more effectively than large organizations. In addition, critical success factors and barriers for implementation were not significant among organization categories. The results of the study are discussed in the context of the theoretical and empirical background of MIS and HRIS. Practical implications and future research directions were discussed. Keywords Human Resource Information System; Gulf Cooperation Council; organization size; Strategic HRM; SME's and large organizations.