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HRM and technology: Are new generations prepared for the future?

Golla, M. (2013) HRM and technology: Are new generations prepared for the future?

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Abstract:Information technology has a tremendous impact on the work of HR professionals which is often referred to as Electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM) (Bondarouk & Ruel, 2009). E-HRM can be found in every field of work of HRM - for example, digitalization of training and development (Tatli, 2009), the possibility for employees to access personal records and payroll information online (Legnick-Hall & Moritz, 2003) or searching for possible job candidates via the internet (Lievens, Van Dam & Anderson, 2002). Another important aspect of e-HRM are Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) which nowadays nearly every medium to large-sized company uses to digitally govern data information of their employees (Kavangh, Thite & Johnson, 2011). This influence of technology on HRM does not remain without consequences for the skill requirements for HR professionals and their daily work, so it has been proposed to take account of these recent developments in the contents of teaching in HR curricula. In 2004 Hempel conducted a research on the contents of HR curricula in the US to examine if the contents of these curricula take account of the impact of technology on HR. The result was clear – e-HRM/HRIS - related topics were underrepresented in HR curricula in the US. The present paper replicates Hempels’ (2004) research in the European context for the – according to the Eduniversal University Ranking – fifty best HRM masters in Western Europe. The results show that also in Western Europe and nearly ten years after the research of Hempel (2004) e-HRM/HRIS related content is rare in HR curricula. However, although a majority of HR curricula include IT-content, in most of the curricula this content is not directly related to HRM. On the basis of a series of interviews with program directors reasons for this have been identified and discussed. The program directors acknowledged the tremendous influence of IT on the work of HR professionals and argued that this influence will increase in the future. However, it was also argued that e-HRM should not be taught as a single course – mainly due to the fact that the field is very broad and difficult to cover in a single module. On the basis of these results, recommendations for a proper integration of e-HRM/HRIS in HR curricula have been made.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:Business Administration MSc (60644)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/63704
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