Human Resources 1

Human Resources in Information Systems

Edgardo Donovan

ITM 603 – Dr. Wenli Wang

Module 4 – Case Analysis

Monday, June 6, 2011

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Human Resources in Information Systems

As organizations increasingly strive to maximize efficient utilization of information

technology human resources, academic literature has produced an interesting array of varied

theories centered on task technology fit, information technology organizational culture,

employee stay/leave decisions, and/or affective commitment dynamics. Utilizing both qualitative

and quantitative methodologies these theories have not only filled a gap in career mobility

literature, but also in certain instances, provided practitioner oriented actionable methodologies

to build more cohesive, resilient, and productive information technology professional teams.

Academic literature is rich in examples containing research questions that study human

resources in information systems. A recurrent theme in multiple conceptualizations of IT

resources offered in prior research is that the IT human resource is a key component of the IT

asset base. To the extent that IT human capital is rare, inimitable, and heterogeneously

distributed, and therefore provides the possibility of bestowing competitive advantage upon the

firm, the effective management of this resource represents a significant area of managerial

concern (Ferrat 2005, p. 237). As organizations face increasing competitive pressures and

technological changes, their attention is focusing on how to attain strategic benefits from

information technology investments in people. Recruiting and training new IT employees is very

expensive and it takes a long time to for a new employee to acquire the technical and

organizational experience to equal the level of a veteran employee. From a human resources

perspective, debates center on how to attract and retain information technology professionals. It

is becoming increasingly important to understand the cultural dimensions of IT occupations

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(Guzman 2009, p. 157). A better understanding of job satisfaction dynamics not only leads to

less turnover but also contributes to the enhancement of IS employees' commitment to their

organizations (Chen 2010, p.321). Configurational theory can be used to examine organizational

practices related to the management of IT human capital. In contrast to much prior work in IT

human resource management that is focused at the individual level, inquiry is focused oat the

organizational level of analysis. Building on strategic human resource management research in

general and research on the management of IT professional in particular, the following broad

question arises: are different configurations of IT human resource management practices

associated with different IT staff turnover rates (Ferrat 2005, p. 237)? Somewhat paradoxically it

is suggested that to retain IT professional organizations must provide both technical and business

oriented career opportunities (Reich 1999, p. 337).

A variety of theories and methods have been employed to research human resources in

information systems dynamics. Reich presents a case study of one organization in which more

than 70 IT professional permanently moved into non-IT business unit jobs during the 1980s and

1990s. Using interviews and surveys of 51 former IT professional the characteristics of the

individual the organization, the first non-IT job, and the transition period were investigated

(Reich 1999, p. 337).

The Ng study combines a narrative review with meta-analytic techniques to yield

important insights about the existing research on turnover of information technology

professionals. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling shows that proximal constructs of job

satisfaction (reflecting the lack of desire to move) and perceived job alternatives (reflecting ease

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of movement) partially mediate the relationships between the more distal individual attributes,

job-related and perceived organizational factors, and IT turnover intentions (Ng 2007, p. 547).

Guzman takes a sequential mixed methodology approach composed of two phases, one

qualitative and the other quantitative. In the first phase of the study, nine focus groups and 27

interviews with college students were conducted to learn about the challenges and barriers that

they personally experienced while becoming part of the IT occupational community. The focus

groups meetings contained an average of seven participants in each group discussion and lasted

55 minutes on average. Discussions were recorded and transcribed. Invited participants ranged

from freshmen to juniors (Guzman 2009, p. 163). The second phase used results from the first

qualitative phase to design a survey instrument that was administered to 215 IT college students

who were currently or had recently been involved in IT work experience to evaluate their

cultural fit to the IT occupational culture and its influence on their occupational commitment

(Guzman 2009, p. 157).

In another study, based on survey responses from 106 organizations, IT human resource

management dimensions and configurations are derived and tested showing that the

configuration with a human capital focus has lower turnover than task-focused configurations

hypotheses (Ferrat 2005, p. 237).

The above research has added significantly to the existing body of information

technology human resource academic literature through a variety of contributions and findings.

Arguably, all the aforementioned efforts have resulted in filling a gap in career mobility

literature based on individuals and their stories of change (Reich 1999, p. 337) and propose new

theoretical models of IT turnover that present propositions for future research (Ng 2007, p. 547).

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It has been shown that flexible compensation and job design practices may be crucial if

companies are to be successful managing shifts from technical to business oriented career

leaders. While salary and status differences can be inhibitors to successful transitions out of

technical areas business managers can have the support of the corporate policy makers to

negotiate salary freezes or job redesign so that IT professional could make the move without

penalty (Reich 1999, p. 357). Results also suggest that women, ethnic minorities and those with

less work experience encountered greater difficulty fitting into different dimensions of IT

occupational culture and that cultural fit can be a good predictor of occupational commitment

and affective commitment (Guzman 2009, p. 157). Consequently, when cultural aspects that

attract and drive away potential IT professionals can be better understood then we can find

opportunities for educational and managerial interventions to help create a better cultural fit

(Guzman 2009, p. 158). This assertion is supported by survey responses from 106 organizations

where IT human resource management dimensions and configurations were derived showing that

the configuration with a human capital focus has lower turnover that the task-focused

configuration hypotheses are derived and tested (Ferrat 2005, p. 237).

Dr. Guzman’s study stands out due to its focus related to IT organizational culture

ramifications within human resource dynamics. An occupational culture arises from the shared

educational, personal, and work experiences of individuals who pursue the same occupation and

share similar ideologies and forms of expressing those ideologies in speech and behavior. An

occupational subculture comprises a unique cluster of ideologies, beliefs, cultural forms, and

practices of individuals who pursue the same occupation. Dr. Guzman presented empirical data

based on 121 interviews indicating that the IT organizational culture is characterized by at least

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the following elements: high value of technical knowledge, extreme and unusual demands

pertaining to long hours, dealing with unsatisfied users, a need for constant self re-education,

feelings of superiority relative to the IT user community, high IT pervasiveness in non-work

contexts (e.g. use of IT in leisure time), a typical lack of formal work rules in the IT occupational

setting, and cultural forms manifested in the frequent use of technical jargon and the social

stigmatization or stereotyping (e.g. the geek/nerd label) (Guzman 2009, p. 160).

There are multiple practitioner oriented implications as well as suggestions for future

work that were a result of Dr. Guzman’s research regarding IT organizational culture. Hiring and

interviewing practices could be modified in an attempt to define candidate profiles based on their

affinity for a perceived unifying organizational culture. These instruments could be further

modified and adapted to be used in the hiring process by HR departments to measure cultural fit

to organizational subcultures, such as the one in the IT occupational group (Guzman 2009, p.

157). IT occupations indeed have an occupational culture that is recognized by newcomers but

that only work experience allows for a better understanding of it. The cultural fit of newcomers

varies with regard to gender, ethnicity and length of work experience. Women hardly fit with the

IT pervasiveness dimension of IT organizational culture, minorities tend to have difficulties

fitting the cultural stereotypes, and those with work experience are best able to articulate IT

organizational culture dimensions. Results also showed that cultural fit is a good predictor of

occupational commitment and affective commitment in particular. If newcomers to the

occupation develop more positive perceptions about the cultural characteristics of the

occupation, this will enhance the cultural fit and, as a consequence, may enhance affective

commitment in the IT occupation (Guzman 2009, p. 183).

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As organizations increasingly strive to maximize efficient utilization of information

technology human resources, academic literature has produced an interesting array of varied

theories centered on task technology fit, information technology organizational culture,

employee stay/leave decisions, and/or affective commitment dynamics. Utilizing both qualitative

and quantitative methodologies these theories have not only filled a gap in career mobility

literature, but also in certain instances, provided practitioner oriented actionable methodologies

to build more cohesive, resilient, and productive information technology professional teams.

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Bibliography

Chen, Chih-Chung, Hsu, Yao-Sheng, Tung, Feng-Cheng, Lee, Ming Shing. (2010). the influence

of knowledge workers on occupational commitment. International Journal of Organizational

Innovation (Online). Hobe Sound: Fall 2010. Vol. 3, Iss. 2; p. 261

Ferratt, T. W., Agarwal, R., Brown, C. V., & Moore, J. E. (2005). IT human resource

management configurations and it turnover: theoretical synthesis and empirical analysis.

Information Systems Research, 16(3), 237-328.

Guzman, I. R., & Stanton, J. M. (2009). IT occupational culture: the cultural fit and commitment

of new information technologists. Information Technology & People, 22(2), 157-187.

Joseph, D., Ng, K.-Y., Koh, C., & Ang, S. (2007). Turnover of information technology

professionals: a narrative review, meta-analytic structural equation modeling, and model

development. MIS Quarterly, 31(3), 547-577.

Reich, B. H., & Kaarst-Brown, M. L. (1999). "Seeding the line": Understanding the transition

from IT to non-IT careers. MIS Quarterly, 23(3), 337.