SUMMARY OF HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM (HRIS)

          The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) course exposes students to the use of Computer-Based Information Systems (CIBS) in facilitating the achievement of competitive advantage of an organization. This is where the competitive advantages are achieved through the application of advanced technology. The course discusses Human Resource Information System (HRIS) model and how the systems aids human resource practitioner in implementing HR task more efficiently through the use of information technology. There are the topics that covered in HRIS, which is the web and key trends changing human resources, introduction to information system and competitive advantages, HRIs in context, web based human resource: recruiting and staffing, performance management cycle, web based technology and employee learning and development, introduction to online induction systems and human resource (HR) management and payroll process.

          In other context, Human Resource Information System (HRIS) can assist managers charged with improving the efficiency of HR administration by reducing costs, enhancing the reliability of reporting and improving service to internal customers. Information technology facilitates administration in multiple ways. First, an HRIS can help improve data accuracy by reducing the need for multiple inputs, eliminating redundancies in data and reducing the opportunity for human inputs errors and associated corrections. In addition, an HRIS, through relational databases, speeds the process of building reports with simple query capabilities. Moreover, an HRIS if properly designed for flexibility can support differences in reporting mandated by global governmental jurisdictions.

          For the future of HRIS as noted in early topic, forecasting the future is very difficult. One reason for this difficulty is that the field of HRIS is not just about what might become technically possible. It is, essentially, about systems that serve humans and human enterprise. Students focusing on understanding the field of HRIS must never forget the human issues involved in developing and implementing an HRIS. The field of HRIS continues to evolve and it is important for those studying it not only to understand what is occurring today but also to look at the environmental and technological forces that will affect it in the coming years.

Reflective 6 : WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY & EMPLOYEE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (ELD)

          The nature of work and the structure of organizations are rapidly changing. The learning, training and development of employees is now center stage in today’s organization to ensure long term competitiveness, excellence, quality, flexibility and adaptability. The strategic importance of individual and organizational learning and development is mirrored in the continued interests in the concepts of the organizational learning. The role of the Employee Learning and Development (ELD) is to promote and support employee and organizational growth, development and empowerment by providing innovative, quality workplace learning programs, resources and services.

          Learning is defined as the process of assimilating new knowledge and skills in consequence of experience or practice that will bring about relatively permanent changes in behavior. Effective learning necessitates a capacity to integrate new knowledge with existing knowledge (Learning, 2007). Development is a continuous process of systematic advancement of “becoming increasingly more complex, more elaborate and differentiated, by virtue of learning and maturation” (Collin, 2007, p.266).

       Employee Learning and Development (ELD) systems is the system that plan and observe the employee training, career development and the employee’s performance. As well as analyze the employee career development, ELD systems also recommend training programs and periodic performance appraisal. There are several purposes of ELD systems, which is; 

• Improve and correct an employee’s performance and the organization’s itself. 
• Training programs increase the employee’s knowledge, skill and attitudes towards their current work. 
• Development programs where the program conducts in order to preparing the employees with their future work. 
• To ensure the employees can keep on competitiveness and well perform in their work.
• Help the employee manage their stress due to work overload.

Figure: The component of Employee Learning and Development (ELD) Systems

          ELD systems can be classified in five components, which is employee personal information, performance before training, training course, training transfer and program evaluation. Employee personal information is the personal background about employee such as staff ID, name of the employee, age, address, position in company and others. Performance before training also can be describes as the employee education, performance level and how the employee develops their job responsibility before they attend any training. It can be checked based on the employee’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Training course is information that the employee need to know like course code, course name, module, date of training, subject matter expert (SME), training methods and length of course. Next, training transfer how the knowledge in training transfer to participants, either transfer through knowledge development, forum, video conference, outdoor skill training or others types of training transfer. The last component is program evaluation. Evaluation looks at the total value of that training event and process, thereby placing it into its organizational context and aiding future planning. Faced in an evaluation task, there are four crucial questions to answer: why, who, when and how in evaluating the method, transfer of training and results based on the training objectives. (Harrison, 2005, p.143). Kirkpatrick (1960) also suggest four levels of outcomes that should be evaluated: reaction, learning, behavior and results. Summative, formative and learning are several purpose of evaluation. The summative evaluation has quantitative in nature that establishes whether training and development program was effective, efficient, has added value and met its objectives. The formative evaluation includes qualitative in nature and assesses how training, learning and development that can be improved that is, how they could be made more efficient and effective. In sum, learning explained quantitative and qualitative assessment of learner’s post-training performance to evaluate whether learning transfer has occurred.

          The advantages of ELD system are cost effective and accessibility helps to empowerment and facilitation and improved computer skills. Whether the disadvantages of ELD system are lack of human contact, need employees to know the computer basic skills and certain contents are not suitable to employees. In conclusion, the ELD system can help make the process easier to implement, facilitate timely information sharing and enabling a consistent coordination between elements and the organization.

REFERENCES

Collin, A. (2007). Learning and development. In J. Beardwell & T. Claydon (Eds.), Human resource management: A contemporary approach (5^th ed.). Harlow, UK: Prentice Hall, Financial Times.

Harrison, R. (2005). Learning and development. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1960). Techniques for evaluating training programmes. Journal of the American Society for Training and Development, 14, 13-18, 25-32.

Learning. (2007). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved March 14, 2007, from www.britannica.com/eb/article-9369902

http://hrs.boisestate.edu/td/

Reflective 5 : WEB BASED HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING: RECRUITING AND STAFFING

          Recruitment and staffing provide the overall framework for the process of planning, recruiting, selecting, and hiring employees. Recruitment is the process of attracting, screening and selecting qualified people for a position in an organization. Staffing is the process of selecting and train individuals for specific job functions and charging them with the associated responsibilities. So E-recruitment system develop to decrease employee’s turnover and to help human resource management to find the right people to fill the job vacancies in organization. It will help organization more in recruitment and staffing their staff quickly and effectively. E-recruitment system is the online job application and processing system for employers to advertise their job opening and for candidates to submit their application via Internet.

          There are several advantages of recruiting and staffing by using web based human resource planning, first it will reduce cost and time. Organization can advertise all the available positions in company’s website and it will save a lot of advertising cost from advertise it on newspaper advertisement and also reduce mailing cost. At the same time, others will get the information quickly when the system gives the update information. On the other hand, the selection process will be easier with describes the job vacancies and their requirements through internet. It also will help the human resources executive make an appropriate selection to fill the available position based on candidate’s qualifications.

          Every thing has their pros n cons, same with this system. The main risk when use system is the information will be risk by the virus and spyware. When this situation happens, all the information automatically will be missing and corrupted. Sometimes, the system is hard and limited for users to access especially in critical time, only the employee in the organization easily to access. In addition, the information in the web too many and overload. Candidates have to search amount thousands of job specifics and dealing with so many applications including the unsuitable ones.

          Research by Breaugh and Starke (2000) has identified the impact of online recruitment on recruitment objectives for the recruitment process, including:

a)    Cost – research has consistently shown that online recruitment does reduce costs (Cappelli, 2001; Chapman & Webster, 2003; Galanaki, 2002).

b)   Speed of filling job vacancies – online recruitment can decrease cycle time and increase the efficiency of the process by allowing organizations to spend less time gathering and sorting data.

c)    Psychological contract fulfillment, employee satisfaction and retention rates – these three goals are important of the recruitment process and have a close relationships.

d)   Quality, quantity and diversity of applicants – the quantity, quality and diversity of applicants are three other important recruitment objectives (Breaugh and Starke, 2000).  

          In conclusion, administration can easily update all the information via using the web based system and online recruitment and staffing may permits administration to cast a wide net across a broad labor market and also more likely to reach high-quality applicants.

REFERENCES

Breaugh, J. A., & Starke, M. (2000). Research on employee recruitment: So many studies, so many remaining questions. Journal of Management, 26, 405-434.

Galanaki, E. (2002). The decision to recruit online: A descriptive study. Career Development International, 7, 243-251.

http://humanresources.about.com/od/recruitingandstaffing/Employee_Planning_Recruiting_Selecting_Staffing_and_Hiring.htm

Reflective 4 : PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE

          In class, Dr Nur Naha asked us about the differences between performance management and performance appraisal. I feel little bit confuse about this two statements then I find the meaning of both. Employee performance management is the process of involving employees in accomplishing agency’s mission and goals. Employee performance management includes planning work and setting goals, monitoring performance, developing capacity, reviewing performance and rewarding good work and activities that ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner.

Figure 1:

Stages of Performance Management

          Performance management have five stages which is plan, monitor, develop, review and plan. Stage 1 is performance planning, it starts of the year then periodically is the core of the performance management process. The performance plan should be a written document and describes more about performance results, performance behaviour and development objectives. Stage 2 and 3 are monitor and develop. Monitoring includes performance and giving feedback like two communication ways between manager and employee throughout the performance period is critical to the performance management process. Then development occurs through monitoring where it can helps more in improving the work process. Stage 4 is about performance review that summarizes the performance over a period of time. Review stage will evaluate performance results and behaviours while rating and ranking have both pros and cons, a summary rating of each employee may be useful. Stage 5 is reward. Every good performance should be rewarded. Recognition and non-monetary rewards are an important part of the reward structure.

          Differ with performance appraisal, it is a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated typically by the corresponding manager or supervisor. A performance appraisal is a part of guiding and managing career development. It is the process of obtaining, analyzing, and recording information about the relative worth of an employee to the organization. Performance appraisal is an analysis of an employee's recent successes and failures, personal strengths and weaknesses, and suitability for promotion or further training. It is also the judgement of an employee's performance in a job based on considerations other than productivity alone. Performance appraisal can control behaviour, provide feedback, as a system improvement and as a basis reward and punishment system.

REFERENCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_management

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_appraisal

http://www.opm.gov/perform/overview.asp

http://www.businessprocessidea.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Performance-Management-Process-5.jpg

http://www.performancesolutions.nc.gov/images/clip_image002_0007.gif

http://www.hospitality-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Performance-appraisal-hr-hotel.jpg

Summary

Seriously, before enter Dr Nur Naha lecture, I don’t understand what is Human Resource Information System or HRIS. But, when I learn from Chapter 1, I can see and understand. HRIS can be described  as a syste used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve and distribute information regarding an organization’s human resource. We can’t deny that the HRM system on paper still comparable with HRIS, but the management of employee information was not done as quickly as in a computerized system. Using HRIS gives firms several advantages include increasing competitiveness, provide comprehensive information to increase the speed of information transactions, reengineering HR processes and functions, and also improving employee satisfaction by delivering HR services more quickly and accurately.

In Chapter 2, what I learn from this topic is about the major roles of Information System and the competitive advantages that the organization can achieve with Information System, the strategies are, cost leadership, differentiation, innovation, growth, alliance and others.

Moreover, what I learnt from Chapter 3 is about different types of HRIS models and three different strategic needs that drive organizations in selecting each model. The models are Multinational model, Global model, International Model, and Transnational Model. Whereas the strategic needs are responsiveness through local differentiation, efficiency through global integration and learning through leveraging worldwide innovation and knowledge sharing.

Reflective 3: Reflective On Globalising HRIS Part 1

In Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, Christopher Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal categorize worldwide organizational models into four types. The models are Multinational model, Global Model, International model and Transnational model. 

Multinational model takes a responsive approach to implementing and managing HRIS by being sensitive to local and regional differences. Global model takes an efficiency approach to implementing and managing HRIS by building a single, standardised centralised system. International model takes learning and sharing approach to implementing and managing HRIS by transferring and adapting knowledge and expertise to local organizations while continuing to retain considerable influence and control over the local organizations. Transnational model is one that embraces and exploits such paradoxes. It brings the efficiencies through an integrated network of competencies and processes, provides flexibility through specialised roles and responsibilities and also creates a learning organization through the facilitation of multiple innovation processes.

How we can select the best model that suitable for an organization? Here are three different strategic needs that drive organization in selecting the best model, which are:

• Responsiveness through local differentiation
• Efficiency through global integration
• Learning through leveraging worldwide innovation and knowledge sharing

For sure I have little bit problem in differentiate the types of HRIS organizational models when i just refer it on lecturer slide. But the additional reading that Dr Nur Naha give to us, the article by Karen V. Beaman, On Globalising HRIS:  Moving to a Transnational Solution provides further explanation regarding the four HRIS model.

Reference:

Christopher Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal. 1998. Managing Across Borders:

The Transnational Solution. Second Edition. Harvard Business School Press.

Karen Beamen and Alfred J. Walker. October – December 2000. Globalizing

HRIS: The New Transnational Model. pp. 30-33.

Reflective 2: Reflection on Information System For Competitive Advantages

This topic more explains about the using of Information System (IS) for gaining competitive advantage. There are 3 roles of information technology that plays a major role in reengineering most business process:

• Can substantially increase process efficiencies
• Improves communication, and
• Facilitates collaboration.

Information Technology will help the organization gain the competitive advantages with several strategies. First is cost leadership strategy. Company must become low cost producers with help and reduce cost to their customers or suppliers but increase the cost of products to their competitors. The second strategy is innovation strategy. To become a creative and innovative, company should produce the unique products, services and markets that are different with the other company. Other strategy to get the competitive advantage is growth strategy. It will give the opportunity to expand company’s capacity and diversify new products and services into global markets. Next is alliance strategy. Company can think another alternatives how to establish linkages and alliances with their customers, suppliers, competitors, consultants and other companies.