This article analyses HRIS impact in a SME based on a longitudinal case study. This SME evolves in the educational sector and has just operated a fusion of four private schools. A HRIS (time management & activity software) is launched. A contextualist perspective is taken from 2002 to 2010 based on various stakeholders interviews (external actors as consultant; internal actors as HR manager, Financial manager, school directors etc..). We present the “contextualist” analysis (context, content, and process) on three key periods. We underline their specificities and explain HRIS implementation situation through a “conventionalist” lens.
activity software,
E-management model is often perceived as an ideal-type applied in flexible and reactive
companies and positive technological innovations [
E-HR constitutes a proper research theme in HRM, but few articles exist in the
establishment of HRIS and its consequences in SME. However Boundarouk et
al..(2009) [
The case study is concerns «Sainte-Croix»14 entity. This private school involves 3000 pupils & students from nursery school to advanced vocational training certificate and 95 employees. Its current organization results from the fusion of five establishments in 2002. The idea was to harmonize operations; particularly HRM and management control.
We propose to study the various phases of the HRIS implementation and its impacts on
HRM. Our research is based on a longitudinal study and on semi structured interviews.
Identification of the HRMIS effects in an organization, but also uses and actors’
strategies of actors have been analyzed through decision makers’, users’, IS designers’
interviews. This analysis emphasize, according to contextualist method [
If the observation is focused on the HRIS we discuss the relevance to extend our conclusions to E-HR. Lastly, we propose perspective of use and appropriation of the system. In a first part we make a literature review and expose a model of research. A second part is devoted to the methodology and the results of our observations. 2
The HRIS indicates that softwares are conceived for social information management, in order to realize pay processing for example. When HR function uses internet technology to manage information, communication and interactive web applications, then we can speak of E-HR. Historically articles in IS and HRM are focused on HRIS or on ITC and finally on E-HR. The division between HRIS and E-RH is not so clear now as more and more softwares can be reached today using a web navigator, from the Intranet of the company. After a presentation of ITC and HRIS as HR process support, we analyze the HRIS implementation strategy in the context of SME. ITC is in general lower in small entity but what about e-HRM impact in SME? To deep this problematic, we present an E-HR model which underlines technologies impact of technologies on HRM. Uses themselves are influenced by factors technical, social, organizational and individual factors. Finally we expose our empirical study, inspired by the contextualist perspective. We analyze HRM changes in «Sainte-Croix» SME. 2.1
The concept of HRIS is not new. In 1990 Tannenbaum publishes the following
definition: a HRIS is a system used to acquire, store, handle, analyze, sort, distribute
relevant information concerning human resources in an organization. Hendrickson
(2003) adds that it is not limited to technical aspects (computer equipments, software
applications) but includes also individuals, procedures and policies, necessary data to
manage HR function. Use and appropriation are underlined, but certain confusions
emerge concerning the technology infiltration in HR function. In spite of the inexorable
development from the HRIS, various authors stress that the use of these systems is not
optimum and remains on an administrative level [
First impact is operational with HRIS setting up (basic of data, administrative activities automation…). Second impact is transactional with E-HR development. It relates to more sophisticated HR activities. Underlining is not laid any more on administrative one but on HR supporting managerial process tools (recruitment, training, remuneration). Finally last impact is transformational with a virtual function RH creation. This reorganization leads to focus on certain strategic activities according to their value and specificity. 2.2
SME chief executive defines strategy and centralizes power. This leads to functional decision strategic integration (commercial, financial, HR, or information systems). After having characterized the HRM in SME, we consider information systems in SME. Then we conclude on the link between HRIS and HRM.
For Bayad and Chanal (1998) [
Academic articles in information systems also emphasize the leader importance. Levy et
al.. (2001) [
We can logically think that ITC presence is, in general more modest in small structures.
However, firm size does not limit their use in HRM field [
Internal actors as top&line management, employees, worker council are in the center of
the model. IT use is a behavior which results of technology perception. Davis’ TAM
Technology Acceptance Model [
The next variable is the finality of such a strategy in SME. The literature evokes costs
reduction (efficiency), which corresponds to first ambition level [
«Sainte-Croix» is a private school, tied with a pedagogical contract to French government. This entity receives a mission letter from diocese supervision. There are specific conditions to respect to explain Christian specific characteristics as pastoral teams, mission organization etc (in French “mise en oeuvre du caractère propre”). Families contribute to the finance of private schools. They rest on a french juridical system named “association loi 1901” which cannot do profits. It houses nearly 3000 pupils from nursery school to advanced vocational training certificate (BTS). Non teaching personnel is affected to pedagogy support function at nursery school, college and high school. “Sainte-Croix” applies private sector law and represents 95 people [ 80 Equivalent Full Times (ETP in French)]. These people are in charge of various missions: education, pastoral animation, maintenance, household, administration, communication, financial management and accountancy.
In 2010, organization chart corresponds to the following diagram:
Management staff HR manager
Financial administrative manager
and Accountant manager Person in charge of pastoral animation First Primary School director
Second Primary School director
Third Primary School director
School manager
coordinator Educational advisor (conseiller principal ,d’éducation)
High school assistant manager (lycée )
School Assistant manageer (collège)
Actually, a staff board manages the school system and is composed of ten persons. The school coordinator manager, the three directors of primary schools, the high school assistant manager, the school assistant manager, the financial and administrative manager, the HR manager, the educational adviser, the person in charge of pastoral animation.
The person in charge of financial and administrative tasks is the hierarchical manager of accountants and maintenance & cleaning team. The HRD is the hierarchical manager of secretaries, ad employees of the documentation center. The educational adviser is responsible of non teaching employees’ information keyboard data and of weekly planning. The Accountant integrates in the computerized system, absence (illness, training).
The school unit and its current organization follows a strategic evolution. There has been a fusion of 4 establishments in 2002, which have harmonized their operations ( in particular contracts, vacation and working time ). An agreement on annual working time within 35 hours system allows schedules modulation with high week (with 39 hours) and low week (with 35 hours). Nevertheless, wage bill is the first company financial cost (50% of the budget). Due to this specific situation, a rigorous management of the wage bill was necessary. The group wanted to benchmark the new group to other similar establishments and to readjust costs by services. In order to do that, they followed ratio (example number of employees by service/ pupils’ numbers). A first financial study was undertaken in 2003 by a consulting group, specialized in financial analysis and catholic establishments of teaching sector.
This consulting group develops and sells a HR software named «TERH». This last supports organization, regulation updating, wage bill analysis for non teaching staff. It proposes a data base allowing personnel administrative management (contract, remuneration, status …), tied with a working time management software. Here are some functionalities examples of this software: Legislation (employment contract management; 35 hours follow-up; Checking of legal obligations in term of work length), Organization (Weekly planning (per salaried employee, per place of employment, per service); Annual planning with vacation calculation of the vacation); Analyze (personnel allocation (time and activity); Flow of replacement/management of absences; Equipments and costs by service compared with national statistics.), Forecast: wages simulation (per variation of pupils size or per variation of employees). The stake for «Sainte-Croix» consists in software deployment success, in order to guarantee wage bill control.
The empirical study is led according to contextualist perspective [
Three axes are identified in a contextualist method: a multi levels context, a temporally directed process, a non deterministic content.
This step allows of explicit processes through a change situation. Firm transformation is seen as multidimensional, iterative but, not resulting necessarily from rational relations. This approach is articulated around the interconnection of three concepts:
Context: includes internal context and external context. It explains "why" changes and "whom" of this evolution (actors). It is multi levels since bringing into play various stake holders. Direct and indirect users position HRIS impact at various levels. Within ”Sainte-Croix”, it intervenes according to users and their position.
Process: it translates actions, reactions, interactions of various actors who make evolve organization. It is the "how" which is apprehended here. The process of HRIS implementation is temporally directed. Indeed, TERH HRIS deployment constitutes a long-term project. Control of process management depend similarly on former practices (pre establishment), of objectives posted at implementation time and finally reported practices (post-establishment).
Contents: refers to studied transformation field. It answers the "what" of change. Contents study must be based on a nondeterministic approach taking into account multiple trajectories. This indetermination characterizes extended information systems, as HRIS, whose modules are various. This could generate various uses in HRM field.
The contextualist model which is applied to our case study can be represented like that: What are the users’ perceptions?
What is the HRIS on the HRM? What is the HRIS implementation strategy?
We will consider that contents relate to "what" of change, while the "how" and the "why" of change are treated by internal and external context analysis, and by the process analysis of process as such. We mobilize contextualist perspective because it insists on studying change in its context, by articulating various levels of analysis (individual, group, organization).
The general question is: which is the impact of the HRIS on the HRM in SME? But, in the light of the diagram we can specify our questioning: which is the implementation strategy of the HRIS? Which is the impact of HRIS on HRM? Which is the perception of HRIS in this SME? 3
We present the methodology of the study then the case analysis, according to
contextualist perspective [
Semi-structuring interviews have been realized in face to face relationships. Work is divided into three phases: preparation (framework definition and preparation of the interview guidelines), realization (confidence phase with the interviewer, interview, and discussion synthesis with interviewed person) and the follow-up. Semi-structuring interview is adapted to the study of social phenomena and organizational problems. Concerned items are : «TERH» histories and its use ,Implementation of such a system, «TERH» choice between others, Links with pay system, Software perception (advantage drawback).
The following actors have been met once between October 2006 and June 2007 and a second time in January 2010. The stakeholders’ interviews concerns different specific themes .
Director (initial needs, reasons of HRIS choice, links with the “Sainte-Croix” strategy) Consulting («TERH» designer) – (order formulation, response in term of services and “play and plug” product, users training, stages of the project, implementation plan) educational adviser ( HRIS use, communication with its team, implication)
IS manager (Adaptation with the existing information system training of the users, assistance) 3 Directors of the primary schools (organisational and strategic specificities of the establishments, perception and use of tools, management, implication) Accountant in charge of the pay, of administrative tasks related to contracts, of the management of vacation (use, connection with pay, defects and lacks, advantages, extent of the needs, division of work, saving of time, automation, reliability, user-conviviality, emergence of new missions, evolution of work, amelioration of the service quality, effectiveness, other requirements ideas on social management in HRM) Countable head (initial needs, reason of the choice of HRIS, Definition of the needs compared to the functionalities for «TERH», users help, links with fusion of the establishments and strategy, efficiency, effectiveness). 3.2
By articulating context, process and content we aim to understand and to explain the dynamic of the evolution and the transformation of the firm. The longitudinal case rests on interviews concerning the period 2002-2010. 3.2.1
2002-2004 : fusion, restructuration, financial charges This period has started with the four teaching institutions fusion, followed by a restructuration which generates a heavy debt spread out on 25 years. In a tended financial context related to the significant investments devoted to mortgage, the school group must control financial expenses, to maintain stable wage, while improving work organization. We give several interview extracts which shows lack of organization. Manager tells: "We realized our ignorance of our team activities. We did not know who was doing what and when! This is why we ordered a study on the organization chart in order to obtain a financial analysis of our wage bill " The person in charge of accounting: "the financial situation will be tense during the 25 next years because of loan settlement, managers are not enough conscious on financial equilibrium weakness" A study has been undertaken by TERH consulting group in 2002, but we needed a more dynamic answer to analyze wage bill variations and to carry out prospective management. Manager asserts: "It is a photograph at “T” moment and I wished to have a film: a financial analysis on schedule allowance distribution per service and on resource allocation».
2005-2008: a need for control In 2005, a financial alert is done due to a high wage bill . This revives the HRIS launch and precise the objectives. Schools managers declare: "«TERH» was really needed because of too high ratios concerning the wage bill" The choice of the consultant was naturally made on the TERH consulting group specialized on school sectors. The consulting one of the S RH: "With the 35 hours, a reflexion on the organization of work appeared in the heads of establishments. No tool existed, we created a software for plannings in one 1 er time, then for RH and financial management " The director coordinator: "It is the person in charge for the accountancy which will carry out the analyses of the dashboards left «TERH», will carry out the consolidations for the budget or the cost accounting" The first version of «TERH» arrived in 2003, but does not allow to carry out estimated N+1. «TERH» is exploited as a pilot software by the accounting department and requires adaptations, which do not arrive immediately.
The accountant in charge of employees management: "the goal was to enter contracts and planning, in order to check if accounting analyses were coherent compared to the number of people dedicated to each service. The software will evolve according to our needs" Computerized management of planning towards managers intervened only in 2006, after the awakening of the importance of HRM in the organizational control. Educational advisers declares: "software set up for a very long time at accountancy, but inaccessible for the other persons in charge. The access for all the network has been operational in 2006, but there are many dysfunctions»
2009-2010: Strategic and “market oriented” perspectives HRIS is used by the management staff to control “Sainte-Croix” group. HR function becomes more strategic with a 10% wage bill increase. A new collective agreement is executed. This leads to big financial stake (personnel days off buying in). An analysis of the employees’ absence is done. The HR manager says “It can help in case of pandemic development of Asian flu…”. Program on stress detection is launched. “Sainte-Croix” acts on working conditions. Services towards families are raised. Handicapped children are better welcome. A program concerning seniors begins. The person in charge of HRM says ” In 2002, everything was informal. Today there is far more requirements. Absences are justified, we develop competence management”. 3.2.2
The first version of the software is dated of 2003. The software is just for the accountant for dashboards analysis, consolidation, cost accounting which does not allow to carry out estimated budgets. However numerous bugs were present. The accountant declares “with “TERH” version 1.4 was really heavy and screwed up all the time”. “at the beginning, I had no positive perception of “TERH”. I had the impression of doing analysis for nothing because there was a gif gap with the reality. 2002-2004 The second version of the software is launched in 2006 with a decentralization towards the managers of the computerized management of planning (access in network). It was necessary to wait for the second software version to finish some with slowness technical problems due to “Access” implementation.
The coordinating director seems to have laid down alone his objective of operational realization for 2008, without inevitably clarifying points of stages, of evaluation, nor to have sensitized the users at the limit.
The analysis of the needs was carried out into external by the consulting one of the S RH, on the basis of its experiment in other establishments. “TERH” was not presented to the users in term of opportunity and optimization. Perceived utility perceived remained far from the operational managers’ immediate concerns of the operational managers, appropriation and adhesion did not follow. The use of the system is rather convivial and users’’ modifications requests have been taken into account. The data-processing person in charge declares: " «TERH» interface is colored with intuitive navigation. Users can also make send wishes of software evolution, according to their needs"… "For the moment all the users have the same access, but there is the possibility of locking the access according to uses'". The educational adviser insists: "the required modifications were quickly made". The person in charge of IT says: "NetMySQL version is really more convivial".
Various technical problems have appeared. The accountant declares that he did not install “TERH” 2.0 because there was an incompatibility with my treasury software that I use every day.” Uses perception are various. The educational advisor thought that with “TERH”, he was spending more time for the personnel management. He says “I have found rapidly the limits of this software: slowness to go from the weekly planning to the annual planning, slowness of comparing weeks, bug, non taken into account the law on working at night… finally the software reliability was calling into question.
Concerning the training session on “TERH”. Two sessions have been organized in June and September 2006. However the users consider that it does not respond to their needs. They want the session to be spread in a longer period. The director claims “retrospectively training sessions was too early compared to the strategic objectives”. School directors add” we were present at the june session to discover TERH”; but we have refused to assist to the second session because we didn’t know if we will use it. After all why would we keyboard planning ourselves”.
Little by little, TERH has been bettered. It has evolved according users’ requests. The “TERH” consultant declares : "When a software is introduced in an organization, we progress according to people practice and IS evolves according to these practices. For example the educational adviser has asked to do n+1 organizational & resources simulation. The software has been adapted for him" 2009-2010 2002-2004 Development of functionalities is expected but according the human resource manager, one of the brakes is the fact that the software updating is not automatic… It needs several clicks to launch the updating process and then it needs to re-start the application. This is nothing difficult to do but without that manipulation we cannot reach the application. 3.2.3
At the beginning, the objective was to underline non controlled costs, procedures nonconformity. There was a need to management rationalization. Uncertainty exists as it is shown in the director’s declaration: “do we allocate the right resource to the right service?”.
Then a resistance movement appears from the managers point of view. Organizational problems were not resolved after the fusion and the software was not THE solution. As the consultant remarks “the group was in “reengineering” after the fusion. It works on a consensus logic. Managers are not used to receive directives. They have difficulties to accept imposed methods”. For school directors: "«TERH» is not a priority, therefore we do not use it"… "Time spent on «TERH» is a problem because we have already many things to do. It would be good to consider a time discharge for that. We are teachers above all. We have a semi time of teaching and a semi time for the management of school. We do not have time released for the staff management " "We have a position hierarchical and a specific statute. We do not have time to keyboard data in software. There is of personnel for that. Our mission is elsewhere. We are not always in front of our PC in our office. We just need results in order to take care of the employees working time " The managers’ opinion evolves with responsibilities consciousness The strategic integration of the HRF begins. The objective is the harmonization and the valorization of the manager role. The HRIS reinforce the employees’ confidence because they want to be OK with procedures conformity; That partly influences the individual and collective performance at work. The accountant says: "Modifications were before written on flying paper which were circulated from the hierarchical person to the accountant, sometimes directly towards accountancy without the visa of N+1. Today I see less and less employees in my office to manage problems of making up, vacation, planning"
2009-2010 There is a study which has been published on the non teaching employees population. New jobs and new needs exists (for example educational psychologist post, IS and multimedia competence, handicapped children assistant,..). Competence gaps have been noticed. There is not enough vocational training. The annual development and activity interview must be generalized. In 2010 the institution must put into practice the new collective convention to non teaching personnel. There will be just only one pay-scale which as has an impact on the wage bill (+ 10%).
There are actually four “TERH” users: education advisor, administrative and financial manager, human resource manager and the accountant. A fifth user (the high school assistant) consults now the time planning. The employees don’t use “TERH” software. I think that the entities fusion has remove HR responsibilities for school directors. They simply try to endover this kind of tasks.”.
The high school assistant refers to “TERH” only since recently because he has become conscious of time management problems. He has recognized serious errors in the laboratory technician’s planning management which have done more hours than he shouldn’t. This error can be avoid if the person takes the time to look at “TERH” . With TERH, the human resource manager can better position the person who helps the handicapped children. “It his planning is well done, this women can be present on 6 days ½ instead of 4 ½. Besides, due to permutation in timetable, employees can follow vocational training sessions and earn a training allowance. This avoids absence and a replacement by temping work.
5 users, managers become aware of a more rational HRM (controlled wage bill); awareness of the social law, of HR competence
HRIS has, in this case, a real operational impact on HRM. It also appears that E-HR supports HR activities sharing with managers: it is an illustration of ITC relational impact . IS implementation must be managed in a project mode and if not; its development is chaotic. This weakness seems to be a characteristic of IS management in SME.
The method used for the tool installation was not carried out according to classical stages of a project management.
The strategies of actors were not taken into account:
The strategic objectives were not presented, and were thus not integrated by the persons in charge in their operational activity, No coordination around the project was founded, to generate a division of practices and a positive emulation.
Our empirical knowledge leads us to propose a second explanation of the appropriation process of the tool, complementary to actors’ strategies. Indeed the chaotic character of the process evokes the coexistence of different “conventions”. According to our observations three "economies of worth " can coexist for the moment in the organization (Boltanski, Thévenot 1996):
Civic world: which justifies the action by the research of the interest of the employees, the improvement of their recognition, working conditions granted by the organization, Industrial world: which acts for the effectiveness and efficiency through a rational HRM (Employment and Expertise Plan and controls wage bill), Market world: which privileges the quality of service in order to improve the level of families’ & pupils satisfaction.
The HR director currently seeks a mode of regulation and of resolution of the tensions which we could qualify "arrangement" because it makes it possible each one to remain in its own "orders of worth". Let us take the case of the Primary school directors who are potential users of the “TERH” application, they are discharged from the acquisition the data and the management of planning of the ASEM (specialized agents of the nursery schools) assigned to their establishments. Before fusion they managed this personnel not teaching. During their interview in 2007, they state not to have time to use “TERH” and to be "teachers above all".
In 2010, the situation did not evolve said the HR director "the establishments’ fusion led to a centralization of the decision-making power. That did not make Primary school directors aware of their HR responsabilities, they shift HR responsibilities to others"."As financial & Administrative manager and HR manager we, in addition to the annual planning of the personnel not teaching, the weekly planning of the personnel assigned to the primary schools in the place of the principals which do not use “TERH”. We observe a resistance to change which can be explained by a double explanation: strategic, i.e. by a location of the individual & corporatist stakes, and “conventionalist”, by observing tensions resulting from the relations between various "worlds", those of the managers (functional jobs) and those of teachers and people in charge of the pupils.
The “TERH” “contextualist analysis” appears relevant if it is completed with a
conventionalist view which explains the slow down or the solidification of this change
management process. This longitudinal study could reveal the interest of this double
perspective, which constitutes a theoretical contribution of this research.
The tool appropriation intervenes after its effective implementation: it is useful to let
emerge from the operational practices "invented" by certain users, who will become
then of new functionalities shared by all. We recommend, as Tixier and Deltour (2004)
[
Consultants can facilitate information systems launch in SME, by proposing probation
periods before the final implementation [
In the studied case, HRIS has played a catalyst role and has clarified organizational structure needs. More particularly organizational process, hierarchy role must be reconsidered.
Launched at the time as the fusion, the organizational structure was not ready to assume technology, whereas the teams had already to manage numerous changes. The “TERH” second version appears during the phase of development of «SainteCroix». An HR culture is embryonic in managers spirits and the organizational structure is stabilized. The HR function RH thanks to the HRIS has an operational and relational evolution. The great challenge for the company is to found a broad dialogue in order to prevent natural change resistance. This leads to more transparency into process by explaining the aims in clear view perspective, by mentioning openly risks to be avoided and by introducing actors in various working groups.
To set up a HRIS is managing change, is taking care of the actions coherence,
regulating the evolutions speeds, managing information and finally learning
continuously [