Human Resource Information Technology Research Articles

Measuring Information Technology Capability of Small and Medium Enterprises in Rajasthan

Use of Information Technology (IT) at the functional level by the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a recent phenomenon. Moreover, IT adaptation by the SMEs in India is at an emerging phase. As investments in IT continue to grow, SMEs managers’ awareness of the need to derive the value of IT is also increasing. Research has shown that SME managers are increasingly adopting new IT technologies in all aspects of business activities. On the backdrop, this research intends to measure information technology capability (ITC) in SMEs in Rajasthan state. ITC is a firm’s ability to acquire, deploy, and leverage its IT related resources in combination with other resources in order to achieve business objectives through IT implementation. The paper identifies four dimensions, viz. IT infrastructure, IT architecture, IT human resource, and IT relationship resource, in an effort to measure the ITC construct. To accomplish the above objective a sample of 193 SMEs have been surveyed through a pre-tested questionnaire. Results suggest that model fit statistics are reasonably acceptable and IT human resource as a significant contributor to the ITC construct followed by IT architecture. The study may help the firms to leverage technology to differentiate them from competition. SME managers and entrepreneurs will be able to develop a clear understanding of the critical components of ITC and their role in supporting and shaping business strategy.

Some Factors Affect Turnover Intention of Information Technology Employees in Vietnam

This study was undertaken to explore the factors that could affect to the emotional exhaustion and turnover intention of Information Technology (IT) employees in Vietnam. This study was done through two steps including qualitative and quantitative research methods. In qualitative research method, nine information technology employees were interviewed to assess the clarity of words, the content of the questions and the ability to answer the questions of the readers. Formal quantitative research was executed by interviewing a sample collected by convenient method, using a questionaire, including 194 information technology employees in the areas of HoChiMinh city. The data was used to assess the scales and test the hypotheses. Cronbach Alpha coefficient analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), regression analysis were used in this section. The results showed some differences compared to the initial theoretical model. Only some elements in the theoretical model affect the emotional exhaustion, in which IT job demands is the factor that have the most powerful affect. Study results contribute additions to the theoretical basis of human resource management, by understanding more about the factors that have impact on the emotional exhaustion and turnover intention of information technology employees. Thereby, the results also provide additional facilities for the management of information technology enterprises so that the managers can make appropriate decisions in order to preserve the IT human resources.

IT Governance and Human Resources Management: A Framework for SMEs

Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in organizations, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These firms have a simple structure with less specialized tasks and tight human, financial and material resources, so it is particularly important to use an appropriate IT governance framework (ITG) to such enterprises. This paper shows the results of applying an ITG framework designed for SMEs in a case study focused on IT Human Resources (IT HR) and the lessons learned. Conclusions highlight the importance of the quality of IT HR along with the key role played by related enterprise policies.

Role of lifestyle orientation and perceived organizational functioning in psychological empowerment of IT professionals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the role of lifestyle orientation and perceived organizational functioning in psychological empowerment perceptions of information technology (IT) professionals.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a cross‐sectional survey of 242 IT professionals across ten software product and services companies based in India. Established scales of the research instruments were used for data collection.FindingsFindings indicate that professionals with aggressive, individualistic and resistive lifestyle orientation are likely to feel more psychologically empowered. Organizational functioning is also found to have a strong effect on psychological empowerment perceptions of IT professionals.Research limitations/implicationsUse of self‐reported measures for all the variables may cause desirability bias on the part of participants. Future studies may explore demographic differences and incorporate empowerment climate as well.Practical implicationsInsights from the study would help organizations facilitate employee performance using the empowerment tool and consequently gain competitive advantage by retaining skills and experience within the organization rather than outside it.Originality/valueStudies of such nature being few in the Indian IT context, findings present both opportunities and challenges for IT human resource managers and can also be taken up for future research work.

Rancang Bangun Sistem Jejaring Klaster Berbasis Web Menggunakan Metode Model View Controller

Cluster in Indonesia particularly in the area of Central Java in 2010 totaled 150. Based on the results of the survey in Demak, Wonosobo and Pemalang, most Clusters does not yet have a website as a media product promotion and Cluster communication. Some Cluster already leverages media Blog and facebook but the media still do not meet the expected needs because media Blog and Facebook are not a media for product promotion. This is because the limitations of cost and the scarcity of skilled human resources information technology owned by the Cluster. Therefore, this research was conducted on the design and implementation of a web application that serves as a Networking System Cluster. System development method’s using the Prototype Model. Method of MVC (Model View Controller) is used in the implementation of the system, while technology programming using CodeIgniter Framework. As a result, the system is capable of providing the website for each Cluster are listed, so it can be used as a promotional media, publications and communication between Cluster members.

E-government adoption in public administration organizations: integrating institutional theory perspective and resource-based view

We develop and test a theoretical model to investigate the adoption of government-to-government (G2G) information systems in public administration organizations. Specifically, this model explains how top management commitment (TMC) mediates the impact of external institutional pressures on internal organizational resource allocation, which finally leads to the adoption decision. The hypotheses were tested using survey data from public administration organizations in China. Results from partial least squares analyses suggest that coercive and normative pressures positively affect TMC, which then positively affects financial and information technology (IT) human resources in the G2G adoption process. In turn, financial and IT human resources are confirmed to positively affect the intention to adopt G2G. Surprisingly, we do not find support for our hypothesis that mimetic pressures directly influence TMC. Rather, a post hoc analysis implies that mimetic pressures indirectly influence TMC via the influence of coercive pressures. Our findings provide important managerial implications for public administration organizations.

IT as An Enabler to Enhance Fast Growth Small-to-Medium Enterprise Performance

Information Technology (IT) is regarded as a facilitator for both small and large firms to speed up transactions between firms and their suppliers and customers, achieve real-time communication, lower transaction costs, and enhance speed and flexibility. However, understanding whether and how IT can help firms to create business value still remains unresolved. Drawing upon resource-based view theory, source-position-performance framework, we develop and test a theoretical model to explore the interrelationships between IT resources (IT human resources, IT infrastructure), IT capability (back-end integration), IT-enabled inter-firm processes (activity integration, coordination, partnership enhancement), and organizational performance in the fast growth small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) context. We propose that the value of IT depends on how firms employ technologies to develop IT capability which facilitates inter-firm integration and enhances intermediate business processes along the value chains. Struct...

Information Technology Skill Management Strategies for Implementing New Technologies: A Case of Service-Oriented Architecture

Managing human resources and skills for information technology (IT) presents a challenging task for executives, more so when new ITs are involved. Lack of familiarity with the technology, the learning curve associated with its incorporation, and the relative paucity of skilled personnel serve to alter the strategies for management of human resources and skills. This paper presents a system dynamics approach for examining alternative strategies for skill management and supporting decisions during the implementation of service-oriented architecture (SOA) in an organization. For projects involving SOA, the initial planning and implementation of the underlying architecture entail higher costs and slower delivery of initial SOA applications. The use of appropriate IT human resource management strategies for SOA projects is critical for successful SOA implementation. The complexity associated with the fluctuating demand for IT skills, coupled with the need for highly skilled senior architects and professional developers in SOA projects, as well as inevitable delays in skill acquisition, makes this a challenging task. This paper examines the impact of alternative staffing strategies under various environmental conditions and provides guidance for staffing decisions. Using a design science methodology, it employs system dynamics as a vehicle for allowing human resource managers to examine the impact of alternative staffing strategies under a variety of environmental conditions.

Theoretical approaches to gender and IT: examining some Australian evidence

AbstractResearchers have sought a theoretical perspective to explain the under‐representation of women in the information technology (IT) workforce of many nations. Gender imbalance limits the size and skill sets of IT human resources. The essentialist theory, social construction theory and individual differences theory of gender and IT have been proposed to account for the IT gender gap. This study examined evidence for these theories to explain this gap through content analysis of articles published in the national newspaper, The Australian, over three time periods. Newspaper articles report implicit theoretical perspectives on IT and gender and influence the views of the Australian public, including women. While evidence to support all theories was found over the three periods, the essentialist theory was dominant. Increased utility of the individual differences theory to account for the IT gender gap was seen in 2007–2008. The primary contribution of this study is to provide evidence that suggests that theoretical approaches, whether implicit or explicit, shape how people understand the under‐representation of women in the IT workforce. Media interventions are proposed to help redress the imbalance through increased awareness.

Management Insights

Management Insights

Managing Information Technology Human Resources in Health Care

The health care sector has seen a major increase in the use of information technology (IT). The increasing permeation of IT into the enterprise has resulted in many non-IT employees acquiring IT-related skills and becoming an essential part of the IT-enabled enterprise. Health care IT employees work in a continually changing environment dealing with new specializations that are often unfamiliar to other personnel. The widespread use of outsourcing and offshoring in IT has introduced a third layer of complexity in the traditional hierarchy and its approach to managing human resources. This article studies 3 major issues in managing these human resources in an IT-enabled health care enterprise and recommends solutions to the problem.

FORECASTING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HUMAN RESOURCE IN HOCHIMINH CITY FROM 2011 TO 2020

Information technology (IT) is a fast-growing field, particularly, in Ho Chi Minh City. The City Authorities have made much effort to improve IT infrastructure and to make a master plan for IT human resource development. The development of IT human resource depends on the demand of IT market and on the supply of IT human resource. In order to have a highly reliable plan for IT human resource development, a forecasting model involving factors of IT human resource demand and supply is in big need. This research aims to establish an IT human resource forecasting model and to apply this model to the forecasting of IT human resource in Ho Chi Minh City from 2011 to 2020.

Building IT Capability to Increase Organizational Performance: A Path-Oriented Process

Most studies on information technology (IT) capability have drawn their conceptualization from the tenets of resource-based view (RBV). Though path dependence is central to the concept of RBV, very few studies have examined the developmental paths of IT capabilities, which are typically treated as first-order constructs with their effects on firm performance investigated as direct causal links. This paper conceptualizes IT capability as the outcome of a path- specific resource building process, driven by the e-business skills and knowledge of a firm’s IT human resources, which we refer to as e-business centric IT expertise. We posit that through the use of appropriate IT infrastructure, and the development of back-end integration and front-end functionalities, e-business centric IT expertise could be harnessed to provide the right information to the right customers at the right time, giving rise to a firm-specific IT capability. We further contend that IT capability is a source of competitive advantage, offering inimitable differentiation in market responsive agility, which is a key to securing sales in an increasingly customer-centric market. We operationalize these conceptualizations as a structural equation model (SEM) and tested 12 hypothesized relationships using data drawn from a survey of 310 fast-growth smallto-medium sized companies in Australia. The test results uphold 10 of the 12 formulated hypotheses, supporting our conceptualization that IT capability building is a path-specific process. To affirm our contention that IT capability is developed from the interacting effects of a suite of IT resources, and not the sum of the disjointed effects of individual resources, we also formulated and tested an alternative model that links individual IT resources directly to market responsive agility. Combined with a series of mediation tests, our SEM exercises confirm that IT resources interact in a specific way to give rise to IT capability to enhance market responsive agility and achieve sales performance. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of IT investment.

Information Technology Resources and Business Performance: An Australian Context

Information Technology (IT) resources have been suggested to contribute to business performance in the literature, yet the contribution of different resources is not well-explained. This study investigates the relationship between information technology resources and companies' business performance with the presence of the information technology use intensity in industries. The relationship is studied not only at aggregate level but also at detail level which gives an answer to the question of which resource has the most effect on performance. The results of Australian company survey are used in this paper. It is found that IT human resource and IT infrastructure affect business performance while the effect of IT partnership is not significant. This study is expected to help companies' managements to have a clearer view of how to enhance the benefits of IT resources on companies' performance by understanding and focusing on the more important resources.

The research on the critical success factors of knowledge management and classification framework project in the Executive Yuan of Taiwan Government

This study investigates the key factors for knowledge management in the national government of Taiwan. The achievements of the government KM initiatives demonstrate two distinctive dimensions: core KM processes (organizational missions and values, IT applications, documentation, process management, and human resource) and KM performance (knowledge capture and transformation, business performance, and knowledge sharing and value addition). In terms of modern public administration, issues of paradigm shift and disruptive changes have arisen with the introduction of Information Technology (IT) service delivery and operation in organizations [Hori, K. (2000). An ontology of strategic knowledge: Key concepts and applications. Knowledge-Based Systems, 13, 369–374.]. The strategic roles of IT have emerged in modern organizations from the government, business and non-profit sectors. The initiatives created by the e-government include enormous capacity in processing information, reengineering government, empowering citizens as well as the potential in reframing the context of governance. These initiatives are seen as more than technological phenomena: they are also a key element in the strategies of government modernization [ Ault, J. T., & Gleason, J. M. (2003). US Government decision makers’ expectations and patterns of use of emerging and existing information technologies. Government Information Quarterly, 20(1), 63–76. ].

Information technology and the autonomy–control duality: toward a theory

We examine the relationship between firms' human resources (HR) practices and their information technology (IT) practices, focusing on the dichotomy between autonomy and control. We define facilitating HR practices as those that exhibit the following characteristics: worker autonomy, connectedness, learning, valuing individuals, trust, and flexibility in business processes. We then characterize facilitating IT practices, which are practices that facilitate employee collaboration, autonomy, and wider access to information. We contrast these categories of practice to traditional HR and monitoring IT, respectively. Drawing from theories of complementarities and configuration, we propose that alignment between HR and IT strategies originates at the level of individual practices. We consider the effects of this alignment on worker performance. We then ground our discussion in exploratory empirical and qualitative results.

IT Human Resource Management Configurations and IT Turnover: Theoretical Synthesis and Empirical Analysis

Increasingly, scholars and practitioners acknowledge that information technology (IT) human capital is a strategic resource and that its effective management represents a significant organizational capability. We use configurational theory to examine organizational practices related to the management of IT human capital. In contrast to much prior work in IT human resource management (HRM) that is focused at the individual level, our inquiry is focused at the organizational level of analysis. Building on strategic human resource management (SHRM) research in general and research on the management of IT professionals in particular, we examine the broad question: Are different configurations of IT HRM practices associated with different IT staff turnover rates? A multidimensional view of IT HRM practices is presented, based on prior IT and SHRM literature. We formalize hypotheses regarding the relationship of turnover with configurations of IT HRM practices grounded in prior theory and empirical research. Based on survey responses from 106 organizations, IT HRM dimensions and configurations are derived and the hypotheses are tested. A five-configuration solution, obtained via cluster analysis, includes two contrasting configurations consistent with two archetypes found in the prior literature. Specifically, the configuration with a human capital focus has lower turnover than the task-focused configuration, providing support for our first hypothesis. Although the hypothesis on intermediate configurations and their relationship with turnover is not supported, we discover and interpret three additional configurations that embody patterns of practices with unique emphases. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Perceived Influence of Industry-Sponsored Credentials on the Recruitment Process in the Information Technology Industry: Employer and Employee Perspectives

The increase in the number of industry-sponsored credential programs raises many questions for career and technical education. This study investigated the perceived influence of industry-sponsored credentials on the recruitment process in the information technology (IT) field. Influence is examined from the perspective of Human Resource (HR) executives and their current IT employees to explore employer and employee differences in the role industry sponsored credentials and traditional education qualifications play in the recruiting process. Surveys were administered to HR executives and IT employees in a sample of large U.S. firms. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between employers and IT employees regarding the perceived influence of industry-sponsored credentials on recruitment. However, significant differences were found in the perceived influence of such credentials on the recruitment process when comparing IT employees with credentials and those without. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for researchers, career and technology education policy makers, and educators.

Information technology for sustainable development and global competitiveness: comparing curriculum in Africa and America

Millennium Development Goals (MDG) stress the importance of education as an effective mean of reducing poverty and building global competitive manpower. The world is viewed as a single marketplace in the acquisition, utilisation and development of IT human resources. The changes in knowledge and skills for effective application of IT make it imperative for institutions in developing countries to prepare skill manpower to meet the challenges. The question examined in this study is the following: Is the Information Technology curriculum offered in Africa capable of producing globally competitive and skilled information technology human resources? The study examines the application of IT for sustainable development and compares information technology curriculum in two countries, one a developing nation, and the other a developed nation. The paper helps to determine the competitiveness of the African IT graduates and suggests how developing nations can produce competitive IT human resources.

Information technology and productivity: a comparison of Japanese and Asia-Pacific banks

Banks throughout Asia have achieved productivity improvement through information technology (IT) use. Retail and wholesale IT products positively influence productivity. IT use increases outputs and decreases costs. Both IT capital investments and IT human resources have a positive relationship to productivity. Japanese banks benefit less from IT use than Asia-Pacific banks. To improve, these banks should better utilize their IT human resources and capabilities and acquire more cost-effective IT from international sources. The positive impact of IT on productivity is difficult to determine in net profit and asset (predominantly loans) increases. However, both Japanese and Asia-Pacific banks can enhance productivity by increased spending on IT and better management of IT resources. This would increase their competitiveness through differentiation and customer service improvement, reduced costs, better risk avoidance, and maintaining the stability of their customer base and market share.