Abstract

The increasing implementation of technology applications into the workplace has substantiated the need for adept professionals who can manage HR technology for employees and provide data about the organization. For some companies, these professionals are found within the human resources department. These information systems professionals combine HR knowledge and technology skills to procure applications that improve work processes and HR outcomes. The qualitative study focused on exploring the role delineation of human resource information systems (HRIS) professionals to better understand the advantageous aspects of the role's focus in HR technology and analytics. Specifically, the study aimed to describe how the HRIS professional role supports the functions of HR and transformation of HR activities within organizations. Additionally, the research sought to uncover how HRIS professionals described their responsibilities and competencies in response to the significance of data analytics, as well as how the HRIS professionals described the outlook of their professional role. Ten, semi-structured interviews were conducted with HRIS professionals who reported having progressive HRIS experience within U.S. based organizations. The results included HRIS professionals' beliefs about their tasks, competencies, and job outlook and thematic analysis resulted in six categories: data management, HR/IT intersection, HRIS emergence, business intelligence, professional identity, and job satisfaction. The conclusions drawn from the research findings indicated that: HRIS professionals encourage HR technology integration to improve workplace processes; HRIS professionals manage data integrity and support the safeguarding of employee information; HRIS professionals manage data integrity and support the safeguarding of employee information; HRIS professionals run data inquiries and provide reports that influence decision making related to workforce and business outcomes; and HRIS professionals are enthusiastic about emergent job responsibilities in the design and coding of systems. Recommendations for practice include executive consideration toward improving the visibility of HRIS contributions as a way of strengthening relationships between HRIS professionals and the stakeholders they support. Recommendations also include further investigation into utilization of analytics in the workplace. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into the opinions of HRIS professionals about their role and interactions within their organizations and recognizes that HRIS professionals consider both people and data when it comes to HR technology implementation.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Dissertations (EdD) -- Learning technologies; Information storage and retrieval systems -- Personnel management -- Case studies; Personnel departments -- Employees -- Interviews; Technology assessment -- Case studies

Date of Award

2017

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Davis, Kay D.;

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