Abstract
Orientation: Diversity management, focusing on developing and appreciating diverse ideas and building relations among diverse employees, and new electronic human resource management (e-HRM) approaches to employees, often leave employees feeling disrespected and indignant. Thus, instead of human resource practitioners, harnessing the strategic role of e-HRM towards value creation for people and organisation, e-HRM has taken a dehumanising turn.Research purpose: This research questioned how technological changes affecting e-HRM could optimise and enable diversity.Motivation for the study: Current literature does not adequately address this e-HRM dilemma impacting on HRM.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative exploratory case study was used to determine how and to what extent the application of e-HRM technology implementation impacted on diversity management. The human niche and ecological model theories help explain the nature of employees’ interactional relationships and coping mechanisms when intervening factors such as e-HRM are introduced respectively.Main findings: The research revealed disconnectedness between e-HRM, individuals and groups, affecting efficiency. Further research is required to improve humanistic approaches for e-HRM implementations.Practical/managerial implications: Application of human niche theory may guide a more participative approach from the onset. Leaders and managers who follow a pure transactional approach may fuel employee isolationism and hamper diversity management through technology in e-HRM.Contribution/value-add: Our findings provide insight into the unintended consequences of diversity. We indicated how e-HRM systems can lead to relational breakdown in a developing country context. Technology should be integrated in managing diversity, and not just focused on operational efficiencies.
Highlights
Globalisation has resulted in the development of large, ever expanding, multinational organisations
The findings confirmed that e-human resource management (HRM) was implemented in this particular organisation to streamline HRM processes in order to improve competitiveness
Our findings provide insight into the surprisingly unintended consequences of diversity and how it affects electronic human resource management (e-HRM) implementation
Summary
Globalisation has resulted in the development of large, ever expanding, multinational organisations. Such organisations, operating in a global, competitive environment, utilise technological processes to drive improved efficiency. Complexities such as national regulatory requirements, diverse workforces and recognition of human dignity provide the rationale for human resource professionals and leaders to seek ways through which to improve diversity management. Electronic human resource management challenges the concept of interpersonal relationship building in organisations, especially where diverse employee groups have to operate together. Organisations are tasked to rethink diversity management, in particular to maintain interpersonal relationships and organisational cohesion
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