In fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems. In the Division of Information Systems ,
School of Economic and Business Sciences.
University of Witwatersrand 2017 / This thesis is about how an organization adopted an information system (IS) and the subsequent current use of that system. That is, the relevance of this thesis is premised within the adoption and use of IS research fields. The adoption and use of systems is still a key IS issue as organizations strive to find ways to justify investments while the research issue is in striving to profoundly describe the adoption and use behavior. The thesis employs Human resource information systems (HRIS) as the system under study, with a South African university being the context. HRIS are adopted and used in organizations, including universities, to facilitate human resource functions and practices. The adoption and use of HRIS is often critical to achieving organizational visions and mandates; however, literature in this field is still in its infancy, with no known study conducted with a South African university context. To this point, there was a need to study behavior during HRIS adoption and the subsequent use behavior, in order to inform an efficient and appropriate ongoing use.
Existing scholarly HRIS literature focus on either its adoption or its use, but hardly addressing both concurrently. This thesis argues that adoption may inform present use, and therefore, paramount to study both facets, and in the same locale. The study sought to understand how HRIS was adopted as well as understand how it is presently used, in the context of a South African university. The research argument driving the thesis is that HRIS is realized in a multidimensional environment, and thus, there is a need for a framework that may inform both adoption and use dimensions. The framework ought to be cognizant of the contextual determinants which influence both adoption processes and use behavior at varied levels, so that HRIS is adopted and used effectively and efficiently, sensitive to the South African context.
To conceptualize the multidimensional framework, the study was underpinned by Upper echelon theory; Social cognitive theory; Technology, organizational and environment framework; and Task-technology fit, as theoretical lenses. Majority of HRIS adoption or use studies take a positivist stance; however, this thesis deemed an interpretivist philosophy as a more appropriate stance to understanding the complexities of adoption
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and use. A qualitative inductive approach using a case study research strategy was the methodology followed. Semi-structured interviews, field observations and institutional documents were ways to collect data. The empirical data were analyzed following thematic analysis and content analysis techniques.
Literature and the interpretation of study findings informed the conceptualization of the multidimensional framework for the adoption and use of HRIS. The thesis contributes theoretically by providing a framework that informs adoption and use; practically, the framework may be used by policy and decision makers to improve use and appropriate use of HRIS; Methodologically, the thesis shows how a case study following the interpretive philosophy may be a better alternative to profoundly describe and explain adoption and the use of HRIS; finally, the thesis contributes to context by giving insights unique to South African universities.
Keywords: Adoption and use framework, Human resource information systems Interpretive case study, Multidimensional, South African university / GR2018
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/24339 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Phahlane, Mampilo Magdeline |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (xviii, 280 leaves), application/pdf |
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