University stakeholders’ perceptions of the impact and benefits of, and barriers to, human resource information systems in Spanish universities
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852319890646 |
| Author | Yolanda Ramírez,Ángel Tejada |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
University stakeholders’
perceptions of the impact
and benefits of, and
barriers to, human
resource information
systems in Spanish
universities
Yolanda Ram
ırez
University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Angel Tejada
University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Abstract
The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to examine university stakeholders’ perception
of the importance and benefits of, and barriers to, transmitting information on human
resources collected in human resource information systems in universities; and (2) to
understand stakeholders’ perceptions of the impact of the effective implementation of
human resourceinformation systems on university efficiency. To this end, a questionnaire
was developed and sent to all members of the social councils of Spanish public univer-
sities. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and linear regression analysis were used
to answer the research questions. Our main findings revealed a strong emphasis on the
need for universities to transmit information about their human resources from the
implementation of human resource information systems. Specifically, university stake-
holders perceive as very relevant the provision of information about the academic and
professional qualifications of the teaching and research staff, the mobility of teachers and
researchers, scientific productivity, and teaching capacities and competences. Likewise,
findings suggest that increased transparency, quick responses and easy access to
Corresponding author:
Yolanda Ram
ırez, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain,
Plaza de la Universidad, n1, Campus Universitario de Albacete, 02071 – Albacete, Spain.
Email: Yolanda.Ramirez@uclm.es
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852319890646
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2022, Vol. 88(1) 171–188
information were the main benefits of the implementation of human resource informa-
tion systems, while the lack of commitment from top management and insufficient finan-
cial support were perceived as the greatest barriers to human resource information
systems in selected universities. Finally, the results confirm that a well-implemented
human resource information system has the potential to enhance human capital efficiency
in universities. The findings provide some insights into the performance and applications
of human resource information systems in Spanish universities that could help human
resource management practitioners to get a better understanding of the current uses,
benefits and problems of human resource information systems, which, in turn, will
improve their effectiveness in Spanish universities.
Points for practitioners
A well-implemented human resources information system has the potential to improve
the efficiency of human capital management. This study contributes to practical knowl-
edge by helping professionals in charge of human resources management to better
understand the benefits of and barriers to implementing human resource information
systems in universities, enabling the better future management of human resources in
them. Likewise, this article provides managers with a greater understanding of the
effects of human resource information systems on efficiency and shows that they rep-
resent a key factor in improving university performance.
Keywords
efficiency, human resource information system, Spain, universities
Introduction
The profound ongoing changes in European highereducation institutions are requir-
ing new strategies in the management of their main asset, human resources (HR),
and, consequently, demanding major strategic changes in institutional communica-
tion systems (Dobbins, 2017; Manes et al., 2018). Competition among universities
has become globalized, and higher education systems are under intense pressure to
improve their services (Ntim et al., 2017; Ram
ırez et al., 2016). Likewise, a high
degree of freedom and self-governance within universities has created a need for
accountability in order to allow administrations and partners to assess the perfor-
mance of instituti ons (Ram
ırez and Tejada, 2019). In this sense, the need for uni-
versities to have a greater involvement with their wider community and the general
concern to ensure the informational transparency of these institutions (Ram
ırez
et al., 2017) prompted us to try to identify what the positioning of Spanish public
universities is on the necessity of disclosing information on their HR.
In the current competitive global environment, characterized by knowledge and
technology intensiveness, there is immense pressure on organizations to better
172 International Review of Administrative Sciences 88(1)
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