Factors affecting acceptance of electronic human resource
management (E-HRM) based on the Technology
Acceptance Model (TAM) in organization offering
educational services: Case study of Alzahra University
Assistant Professor, Al Zahra University and Chief Executive of Modaber Managerial Research institute, Iran Mahdavi34@yahoo.com
M.A, Department of Management, Alborz Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aborz, Iran
Abstract
This study was conducted with the aim of determining factors affecting electronic human resources management (E-HRM) and attitudes of it users at Alzahra Universityt, as well as providing the way for its acceptance by users and making this technology adjusted with their needs and requirements.The major question of this study is that what factors affect users’ attitudes toward electronic human resources management in Alzahra University. The present study base on its aim is a practical study from the correlational-survey branch. It is also cross-sectional since it tries to find the relationship between the variables; according to data gathering method, it is a descriptive non-experimental study since it analyses the relationship between the variables based on the study aim. The population consisted staffs of Alzahra University and the statistical sample was formed via simple sampling method. The study questionnaire was distributed, completed and gathered in each unit. The first to hypothesis related to preferable roles of HR as predictors of E-HRM acceptance. No significant relation was found in this study, maybe due to the fact that staffs, experts and managers who have a strategic preferable toward HR probably don not have a tendency toward E-HRM. Totally, the findings of the present E-HRM are nearly consistent with that of previous research. The results indicate that ease of use, users’ enjoyment of supports and the output quality do not have a significant effect on tendency toward E-HRM in the regression equation. Overall, it was shown that the control variables had only a minor effect on users’ acceptance of E-HRM. The difference between the organizational position and appointment do not significantly influence the users’ tendency toward accepting E-HRM. Among the control variable, only knowledge had a significant relationship with the users’ tendency .
Key words: technology acceptance, human management systems, electronic human management systems, preferable roles
Introduction
At the present time, organizations try to find facilities to make human resources management tasks more efficient. Combination of the need to do tasks more efficiently on the one hand, and the development of information technology and access to communicable instruments on the other hand, has been terminated in fast progress of electronic systems of human resources (Stantonand Coovert, 2004; Fletcher, 2005). Electronic human resources management is expected to make ways of doing tasks for experts of human resources (HR) more strategic and efficient (Gardner et al, 2003; Srivastava and Shaw, 2003).lectronic human resources management can hardly be defined as the administrative supporter of human resources duties in an organization via the Internet technology, since definition covers only technological factors. In addition, we investigate changes in the texture and situation of human resources occurring simultaneously with the entrance of technology of electronic human resources management in an organization. The basis of the present study is the multiple frames for studying electronic human resources management including new technology, task and organization, organizational context, and policies and strategies of human
Abdul Mohammad Mahdavi
467
Research problem definition
One of the transformations affecting human resources management in recent years is the role that new technology of information and communication has adopted. In other words, it is the combination of human resources management with information and communication technology that has brought about new approaches in this filed. Using new technologies in the human resources management in recent decades has completely changed previous methods. The results of these changes have been accompanied by increase in speed, accuracy and satisfaction (Scott, 1998). Many theorist attribute changes in organizations’ approach toward human resources management and its constancy with strategic goals of the organization to the entrance of information technology in management of human resources. Since the axis of human resources expansion is the existence of new applicable information that in rational process called information technology can help development of new abilities in human resources. Electronic human resources management is the transformed form of information system of human resources management that besides doing and administering traditional duties of human resources management, adopts its strategic duties as well. With electronic human resources management, the organization will have extensive information about each of its employees. The employees also can access to their own histories and documents and make them up-to-date if necessary (Hosseini et al, 2003).Stone et al (2006) stated that despite the extended use of E-HRM, little research has been performed on users’ attitudes as a degree focused on this subject, therefore, in the present study we try to find factors affecting acceptance of E-HRM based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and to suggest strategies to improve them.Universities and high-education centers as the pioneers in science and technology files and trainers of experts in various majors including information and communication technology, are not only excepted from this principle but it is expected to have a pioneering role in using this technology in order to offer better services to their own members of scientific association, students and employees. This study aims to find factors affecting acceptance of information technology among users of informational systems in universities, and to suggest strategies to facilitate its acceptance and promotion based on these recognized factors. The most important purpose of the present study is to determine attitude and the impact degree of recognized factors on acceptance of electronic human resources management (E-HRM) by users of Alzahra University, and paving the way for acceptance of this technology by employees of this university, and adjusting this technology with their needs and request. The main question of this research is that what factors affect attitudes of users of human resources management systems in Alzahra University; in other words, which factors should be considered before meeting new informational technologies in order to maximize their acceptance by users and to prevent waste of cc in the organization.
The studyquestion
The main question
What are the main factors affecting attitudes of users of electronic human resources management based on the Technology Acceptance Model in Alzahra University?
Accessory Questions
Do users’ experiences with technology (ease of use, usefulness, qualified output, users’ enjoyment of support) have influence on users’ attitudes toward acceptance of electronic human resources management in Alzahra University? Do users’ perceptions (perceived usefulness, ease of use, qualified output, users’ enjoyment of support) have influence on users’ attitudes toward acceptance of electronic human resources management in Alzahra University? Given the role of human cc (strategic partner, change factor, employee champion, and official expert) that is the
users’ attitudes toward acceptance of electronic human resources management in Alzahra University?
Re factors like working history, IT knowledge, age, gender, type of task, organizational unite and so on, have influence of the users’ attitudes toward acceptance of electronic human resources management in Alzahra University?
The study hypotheses
There is a positive relationship between users’ experiences with IT including (ease of use, usefulness, qualified output, users’ enjoyment of support) and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM). There is a positive relationship between roles of human resources (strategic partner, change factor, and official
expert) and perceived usefulness, ease of use, perceived qualified output, and users; enjoyment of support. There is a negative relationship between the role of an employee champion and perceived ease of use.
There is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM).
There is a positive relationship between perceived qualified output and perceived support and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM)
There is a positive relationship between variables of work history, IT knowledge, age, gender, type of task, organization unite, and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM)
Research literature and background
At the present time, organizations try to find facilities to make human resources management tasks more efficient. Combination of the need to do tasks more efficiently on the one hand, and the development of information technology and access to communicable instruments on the other hand, has been terminated in fast progress of electronic systems of human resources (Stanton and Coovert, 2004, Fletcher, 2005). Electronic human resources management is expected to make ways of doing tasks for experts of human resources (HR) more strategic and efficient (Gardner et al, 2003; Shrivastava and Shaw, 2003).
Electronic human resources management can hardly be defined as the administrative supporter of human resources duties in an organization via the Internet technology, since this definition covers only technological factors (Voermans and Veldhoven, 2006). In this paper, we also show changes in the context and situation of human resources duties occurring simultaneously with the entrance of technology of electronic human resources management in an organization. This study is performed by a multifactor frame for studying electronic human resources management components including new technology, task and organization, organizational context, and policies and strategies of human resources.
Definitions of electronic human resources management
The term electronic human resources were applied for the first time at the end of 1990s while electronic trading accelerated universal business. B2E and Virtual human resources are equivalent terms of electronic human resources in the literature. Researchers acknowledge that there is no “agreed conceptualization of how this relationship between HRM and firm performance actually works” (Hope Hailey et al, 2005, p. 50). The so-called “best practices” approach strives to uncover a generic set of high performance HR practices (ex., Arthur, 1994; Youndt et al, 1996; Pfeffer, 1998); “best fit” approach focuses on aligning HRM strategies to internal organizational strategies and policies, and external contextual conditions, and introduce the concept of strategic HRM that contributes to superior organizational performance (ex., Schuler and Jackson, 1987; Delery and Doty, 1996; Wright et al, 2001; Gratton and Truss, 2003); Recently, the resource-based view of the firm has incorporated a “best fit” perspective (Datta et al, 2005). Guided by this notion, our position is that HRM practices are considered effective if they increase the quality of the employees by promoting their skills, attitudes, competencies that are strategically planned to achieve; and elicit from them valuable behavior, which lead to a unique combination of human capital that is difficult for competitors to replicate (Lado and Wilson, 1994; Wright et al, 1994; Boxall, 1996; Ferris et al, 1999).
Using the Internet for extending employees’ capabilities
Completing the available knowledge and acquiring new ones is a strong motivational factor for a person who has met his/her primitive needs. Therefore, requiring a new knowledge is important not only for the personal success but also for the organizational success. Employee-based technology provides great opportunities for learning new knowledge and skills. At first, in the firm level, the employee provides the opportunity for faster access to technological and specific innovation compared to other research firms and institutions (Jerman-Blazic, 1996).In the personal level, the employee introduces itself as an extensive informational base and researchable including a series of web pages, news groups, internet postal list, network informational fellows and exc.
The effect of information and communication technology on organizations
Information and communication technology and the internet have had influence not only experts of information technology and those employees using information technology regularly in their workplace, but also on organizations environments and generally, the whole social world (Drucker, 2002). Managers should be aware of these changes and try to adjust with them properly. Especially in employees’ motivational level, great changes can be expected. Social evaluators predict deep and major changes in the community level; in this direction, the author of the present study believe that the first and most important duty of managers in such a situation is to preserve employees’ motivations. Based on research results of experts of information technology, the most important benefit that most of these experts expect from a
464 firm, is the possibility of working at home, in such way that they value income and progress opportunities less than that (Battey, 2003).
Research background
Liojan et al (2007) in a study title)E-HRM( in Mexico, with the aim of recognizing compatible innovation for universal competence, tried to investigate the effects of E-HRM strategies for making competitive benefits for organizations and concluded that given the current competence state and globalization, true understanding and effective administration of E-HRM can provide organizations with competitive benefits. They also found that factors like study level and educational levels, social state, economic state of organization and competitive environment can influence the use and administration of E-HRM strategies. Zafar et al (2010) in a study “An Analysis of E-Human Resource Management Practices: A Case Study of State Bank of Pakistan’ use information technology in human resources and its development. They finally came to this conclusion that using information technology in human resources leads to improvement of services and effectiveness of human resources. Kaldi and Khoshalhan (2009) in a study titled ‘identifying and prioritizing factors affecting acceptance of electronic humane resources” investigated and prioritized factors affecting the acceptance of E-HRM by Topsiss method. The y investigated various factors affecting acceptance of human resources including E-HRM complication, E-HRM adjustment, maturity of organization information system, high-management support, organizational cc, organizational structure, the importance of human resources for organizations, familiarity of communication individuals with skills of information technology. The results of this study by Topsiss approach showed that high-management support, the importance of human resources for the organization, and the degree of individuals’ familiarity with skills of information technology have the strongest impacts on E-HRM. Hassan Farsijani and Mohsen Arefnezhad (2011) in a research titled “Ranking of factors affecting electronic human resources management in order to achieve the universal class” studied some of the factors affecting administration of E-HRM. These included individual, environmental, organizational and innovation of E-HRM factors. In order to know and ranking of factors affecting the administration of E-HRM via AHP approach, ideas of 25 senior managers and human resources of water and electricity organizations in Khorram abad city were asked. Data analysis by expert choice software indicated that works factors, organizational factors, environmental factors, individual factors and E-HRM innovation had the most effect on administration of electronic human resources management, respectively.In addition, Abdolaziz Ghaffari (2015) reviewed research background on benefits of using information technology in the realm of human resources management. Ruel et al (2004) showed that although in practice, various kinds of electronic human resources management tend to be combined, it seems that providing a good basis for electronic human resources management in the operational level is a prerequisite for transformational and relational electronic human resources management; and these needs change in duties of human resources experts. (Less in paper-based directors and more in electronic communication with employees, acquiring skills for doing information technology.)
Introducing of the study model
This study sued the combination of two models: technology Acceptance model and human resources role model. Technology acceptance model is a well-accepted formwork in study literature in human aspects of technology innovation (Figure 1). The aim of this model is to gain a better insight about processes and outputs of using information technology (Davis, 1989).
Figure (1): Technology Acceptance Model Source:Davis(15989)
Perceived usefulness and capability of use
Perceived ease of use
External variables Trend toward use Behavioral intention of suing
Practical use of the system
In technology acceptance model we find two mutual-related factors that form the basis of trend toward the use of information technology: perceived ease of use, and use capability. Here, we link technology acceptance model to aim of a human resources system, including electronic human resources components. We expect this aim be differently perceived by employees with different preferences toward roles of human resources in the organization. An analytical framework is necessary for making preferences of employees’ human resources role practical. In this filed, the model described by Ulrich is one of the most outstanding ones. Ulrich (1997) dived human resources roles into 4 groups.
Source:Ulrich(15997)
Ulrich’s model has been accepted by experts of human resources both in research and practice. Also, it is used in a recent study on change in competencies and human resources roles from human resources employees’ managers’ and experts’ perspectives (Caldwell, 2003; Guest and King, 2004). We use this model in the present study, too. Ulrich’s model has been presented in Figure (2). The first role in “strategic partner” that is related to montage of human resources strategies. It identifies the subject to processes of human resources need it to be yokefellow with the firm policies. The second role is called “change agent’. Here, human resources help the organization to change based on long-term goals and also assist it making and facilitating the change management. The third role which has a more administrative view compared to operations of human resources is a series of transformational processes in relation to individuals and administrative support needed by the organization in these transformations. This role is called “administrative expert”. Finally, the fourth role is ‘employee champion’. In this role, human resources is focused on solving short-term problems, operational and supporting employees and managers in current subjects.
Research methodology
The present study given the aim, is a practical study from survey branch and correlational and given the way of gathering data is a non-experimental descriptive research since it analyses the relationship among variables based of the study aim.
Statistical population and sample
The statistical population consists all employees of Alzahra University. The form the sample, first its volume was determined via this formula:
Strategic partner Administrative
partner Employee champion Change agent Strategic focus Individual s Operational focus Process
467 In insurance level of 95% and equivalence of p= 1-q and considering p=50%, and with estimation accuracy (d) equal to .06%, the sample volume was determined 136 ones. Acceptable ideas will be considered in data analysis. Random sampling method will be used. In fact, the users of E-HRM in Alzahra University will be considered as the population and then, via simple random sampling method, needed research questionnaire will be dispensed among them and gathered after completion. Since some questionnaires may not be returned, 165 questionnaires were dispensed that 158 of them were returned. 154 questionnaires were acceptable and their data were analyzed using SPSS software.
Sampling method
The study questionnaires in needed numbers were dispensed, completed and gathered in each unite by simple random method.
Data gathering method
The study method is descriptive-survey and information is mainly extracted by using filed studies method. In addition, to cover the research literature as much as possible, library method is used (Azar and Momeni, 2001: 67). Data gathering is one of the most important part of a study. Required information for a study can be collected by different ways. Questionnaire is a common tools of research and a direct approach to obtain data (Azar and Momeni, 2001: 25). The present study uses questionnaire.
Reliability and validity of data gathering tool (questionnaire)
Before performing measurement tools and using them in the main stage of data gathering, it is necessary that the scholar become sure of the questionnaire by a scientific method. So, the questionnaire reliability and validity should be investigated. Since verification or rejection of the study hypotheses and other results of the study are based on gathered data by the applied questionnaire.
Validity
Since the questionnaire used in this study is a standard one with a strong theoretical support, its validity is high.
Reliability
Cronbach’s alpha for this questionnaire was calculated by SPSS software 0.96%.
Data Analysis
In order to investigate the relationships among the study background variables (age, gender,…) Spearman’s correlational test, and for examining the current states if the variables, two-sentence tests and t-student test were performed.
Reports of the study hypotheses will be presented in this part. The study hypotheses included:
The first hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between users’ experiences with IT including (ease of use, usefulness, qualified output, users’ enjoyment of support) and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM).
The second hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between roles of human resources (strategic partner, change factor, and official expert) and perceived usefulness, ease of use, perceived qualified output, and users’ enjoyment of support.
The third hypothesis: There is a negative relationship between the role of an employee champion and perceived ease of use.
The forth hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM).
The fifth hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between perceived qualified output and perceived support and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM)
The sixth hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between variables of work history, IT knowledge, age, gender, type of task, organization unite, and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM)
Table 1: Correlation matrix among all the study variables Control variable
Hypothesis analysis: the results of examining the above mentioned hypotheses have been presented in Table (3). This table shows its complete correlation matrix.
In .95% insurance level and with acceptance of 5% error, it can be said that: the highest degree of correlation can be observed between change agent and administrative expert (r=. /850, P<. /01), between change agent and employee champion (r=./835, P<./o), and between administrative expert and strategic partner (r=0/830, p<./o1). One possible explanation can be that when HR attempts to coordinate the organization with its long-term goals, it should have the role of an administrative agent.
Table 2: Multiple Regression coefficients between dependent and independent variables Model Standard coefficient Non-standard
coefficient Sig. t B Std. Error Beta Constant amounts 29.673 10.889 2.725 0.014 Ease of use 0.056 0.120 0.076 0.468 0.646 Usage capability 0.612 0.180 0.600 3.395 0.003 Output quality -0.017 0.201 0.018- 0.086- 0.932 User support 0.004 0.245 0.006 0.018 0.986 Administration expert 0.390 0.465 0.527 0.839 0.412 Employee champion -0.594 0.219 0.765- -2.716 0.014 Strategic partner 0.160 0.351 0.267 0.455 0.655 Change agent 0.080 0.275 0.099 0.292 0.774 IT knowledge -1.876 0.818 -0.486 -2.295 0.034 appointment 0.149 0.531 0.031 0.281 0.782 Gender 2.716- 2.159 -0.177 -1.258 0.225
Investigation of the first hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between users’’ experiences with IT
including (ease of use, usefulness, qualified output, users’ enjoyment of support) and attitude toward electronic human resources management (E-HRM).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 IT knowledge 2 Gender -0.202 3 Appointment 0.332** 0.296* 4 Ease of use 0.232* -0.353** 0.115 5 Usage capability 0.329* 0.203- 0.177 0.475** 6 Output quality 0.284* 0.447-** -0.111 0.368** 0.538** 7 User’s support 0.120 0.162- -0.111 0.377** 0.546** 0.561** 8 Strategic partner 0.188 0.183- 0.014 0.229 0.532** 0.658** 0.763** 9 Administration expert 0.081 0.028- 0.103 0.221 0.576** 0.475** 0.804** 0.830** 10 Employee champion -0.090 0.147 0.225 0.023 0.439** 0.151 0.641** 0.625** 0.799** 11 Change agent -0.059 0.094 0.119 0.051- 0.163 0.223 0.675** 0.769** 0.850** 0.835** 12 Tendency toward E-HRM 0.208 0.218- 0.186 0.455** 0.662** 0.661** 0.634** 0.591** 0.619** 0.426** 0.466**
447 In assurance level of 95% findings show that ease of use, output quality and user support do not have a significant relationship with tendency toward E-HRM in the regression equation. However, there is significant relationship between use capability and tendency toward E-HRM (ρ<0.01,β=0.6).
Investigation of the second hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between roles of human
resources (strategic partner, change factor, and official expert) and perceived usefulness, ease of use, perceived qualified output, and users; enjoyment of support.
With acceptance of 5% error it can be declared that against the previous expectation, there is no positive and significant relationship among roles of strategic partner, change agent and administrative expert. But as the employees have a strong preference for HR in the role of champion employee, tend to have a negative tendency toward E-HRM systems (ρ<0.05, β=-0.765).
Investigation of the main study question by t-student test:
What factors affect attitudes of users of human resources management systems in Alzahra University? This part of the study deals with the factors affecting users’ attitudes toward electronic human resources management based on the technology acceptance model in Alzahra University by t-student test. 17 mentioned components that all have been verified are factors influencing affecting users’ attitudes toward electronic human resources management based on the technolotgy acceptance model in Alzahra University.
Table 3: Results of T-Test Row Components of factors
affecting users’ attitudes toward electronic human resources management Sig. Low extreme High extreme Test Results 1 Information technology:
Accelerates doing duties 000 1.38 1.60 confirmed 2 Improves tasks quality 000 1.36 1.56 confirmed 3 Increases utility 000 1.31 1.52 confirmed 4 Increases chance of goal
achievement 000 1.12 1.36 confirmed 5 Makes doing duties easer 000 1.23 1.45 confirmed 6 How do you evaluate
usefulness of information technology
000 1.30 1.50 confirmed 7 Ease of learning information
technology 000 0.81 1.11 confirmed 8 Easy use of information
technology 000 0.93 1.19 confirmed 9 Making a clear and
understandable communication
000 0.95 1.21 confirmed 10 Flexibility 000 0.79 1.08 confirmed 11 Ease of skill acquiring 000 0.78 1.07 confirmed 12 Ease of using information
technology to do duties 000 0.93 1.20 confirmed 13 Goodness of information technology 000 1.21 1.44 confirmed 14 Rationality of information technology 000 1.09 1.32 confirmed 15 Liking information technology 000 1.10 1.34 confirmed 16 Pleasant of information technology 000 1.03 1.28 confirmed 17 Usefulness of information technology 000 1.31 1.52 confirmed
Discussion and Conclusion
This present study investigated the relationship between experiences of information technology and preferred roles of human resources on the one hand, and tendency toward using systems of electronic human resources management, on the other hand. Although not all hypotheses were verified, some of the finding needs explanation.
Preferred roles of human resources: the first two hypotheses relate to preferred roles of human
resources as predictors of accepting electronic human resources management. No significant relationship was found in this study, maybe because of this reason that employees, experts and managers who have strategic preferences toward human resources, probably do not have a positive tendency toward systems of electronic human resources management. But when employees, experts and managers of human resources have been put in the role of employee champion, a more negative tendency toward electronic human resources management will be created. This finding rejects the first hypothesis and verifies the second one. In addition, a positive relationship was expected between preference for human resources in role of the administrative expert and tendency toward electronic human resources management, however, this was not the case. The correlation matrix shows a significant relationship between these two variable, but in multiple regression analysis, this effect cannot be observed. Generally, finding of the current paper is consistent with that of previous ones. Gardner et al (2003) reported some evidence from the experts of human resources and administrative managers about the relationship between strategic human resources and acceptance of electronic human resources management. The present study confirms their findings about managers, experts and employees. On the other hand, no significant relationship was revealed between the responders’’ appointments and tendency toward electronic human resources management, therefore, the preference for human resources roles affects tendency toward electronic human resources management not only in experts levels but also in non-skilled levels. Seemingly, the results of multiple regression analysis for administrative expert and strategic preference have root in this pattern.The rejection of the first hypothesis and verification of the second one in this study somehow confirms the Voerman andVeldhoven’s (2006) suggestion. Findings of these scholars pose a very important question about the validity of Ulrich’s model (1997). They suggest that reduction of the model with four roles to a model with two roles may be more valid. On one side of this model, expert of human resources in a strategic, change/function-based role supports the organization, on the other side, human resources expert is in role of an employee champion that partly acts as the mediator between those engaged in job relations.
Experiences of information technology: the results manifest that ease of use, users enjoyment of
support, and quality of output do not have a significant effect on tendency toward electronic human resources management in the regression equation, while perceived use capability has a positive and significant effect on tendency toward electronic human resources management. Since there is no significant relationship between appointment variable and tendency toward electronic human resources management, the degree of impacts of dependent variables on independent variables in employees, managers and information technology levels are not different. The third hypothesis of this study predicts a positive relationship between ease of use, users enjoyment of support and output quality of an information technology system. We found that employees, experts and managers who use information technology systems more effectively, have a more positive tendency toward electronic human resources management. Apparently, the capability of use of information technology systems is more important for inner individual of the organization since most of the users are not familiar with working instruction of information technology systems and therefore, training degree may be one of the most important factors affecting tendency toward electronic human resources management. Ease of use, output quality and users enjoyment of support do not significantly impact the tendency toward electronic human resources management. In this paper, experiences with information technology systems do not have a significant impact on tendency toward electronic human resources management, as it can be seen in the regression equation, just perceived usage capability have a positive and significant effects in tendency toward electronic human resources management. based on the outcomes of multiple regression model, ease of use, users enjoyment of support and output quality do not have a significant impact on tendency toward electronic human
447 resources management. These findings are against those found in theoretical literature on user acceptance (Legris et al, 2003). Totally, the third hypothesis in this study is partially approved.
Control variables: generally, control variables have a trivial impact on users’ acceptance of electronic human resources management. The difference between appointments and organizational statuses do not significantly influence users’ tendencies. Among the control variables, only knowledge is significantly related to users’ tendencies. Given the theoretical literature also it is expected that information technology knowledge have a significant influence of tendency toward electronic human resources management. Venkatesh et al (2003) used former experience of information technology as a mediating variable in their unified model. The importance of these variables were not confirmed in this study. May be limitation of our evaluation of these variables is the reason. We expected that users’ experiences be so much different among different jobs, whoever, it was not the case. Although literature of human resources have an intense emphasis on difference between factors/benefiters and among various levels of organizations these factors work in (Roel et al, 2003), this study does not confirm such an emphasis to the extent related to roles of human resources.
Study Limitations
The most important limitation of the present study was the respondents range to the questionnaire queries. Since the number of users of human resources filed in Alzahra University was very low, the questionnaire was distributed to other units of the university, including faculties. Therefore, probable unfamiliarity of respondents in other units with functions of information technology may have impact on their answer. So, finding generalization should be done carefully.
Conclusion`
Generally, employees’ attitudes toward electronic human resources management were is under influences of several factors. This study showed that two factors improve this tendency: first, positive experiences with an information technology system (specially, usage capability), and second, employees’ knowledge about information technology systems. To turn this findings into practice: first, requirements (suggestions) of findings which have been successful for the application of electronic human resources management should be considered in the larger environment of information technology. If the current image of information technology in an organization is good, electronic human resources management can easily be performed. If the current image of information technology in an organization is weak, description of negative and untrue response to electronic human resources management is not important, and what matters is the reaction toward these systems. In this situation, a slow process of attracting trust and validity at the time of performing electronic human resources management can be expected. The best way to do this is to show usage capability and agency of electronic human resources management and benefits of change in human resources roles. In other words, the individual should not expect encouragement more that expectation or to gain benefit by suspecting these mechanism. This explanation is consistent with the process-base view (vermenz and voldhen, 2006). Although research literature shows that if employees prefer a strategic role for a human resources they will have a more positive tendency toward administration of electronic human resources management, to support such a role, the relationship between the main management and experts of information technology is necessary. In addition, stating the benefits of strategic role of human resources including the possibility of more utility, preserving the quality standards for operational and managerial duties of human resources, may be an important factor affecting successful administration of electronic human resources management. This can be an opportunity for experts of human resources and administrative managers for drawing the administration method of electronic human resources management in the organization. Boundarouk and looise (2005) in several case studies found that employees do not actively participate in innovations of information technology in their organizations. If only technical experts participate in administrating electronic human resources management, this opportunity will be lost. Totally, the results of the present study add to our knowledge about multidimensional nature of a relative new filed called electronic human resources management. It seems that all technical, organizational, and human factors have the same importance and have mutually influence on each other on the process of electronic human resources management administration. Since variables related to these factors are very various, multifactor theorizing is a proper point for doing research in this filed. In this study, experiences of information technology and preferred roles of human resources act complementary meaning that they have an incremental effect on tendency toward electronic human
resources management. Here, usage capability have the highest impact. So, usage capability of systems of electronic human resources management is positively imagined by users who prefer more strategic activities of human resources.
Suggestions
To continue research in the realm of electronic human resources management, we offer these suggestions: This research was conducted at Alzahra University. It is suggested that scholars conduct the same
research in other universities and compare their results with the present findings.
Inferential statistical approaches were applied in this study for data analysis. Data analysis via other methods like fuzzy logic.
To investigate the effect of modern technologies on electronic human resources management. To investigate strategies of promoting electronic human resources management.
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