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BoustaniFunctional Perspectives of Human ResourcesWassim BoustaniManagement Information SystemsProfessor V. Friedman10 March 20061
 
BoustaniFunctional Perspectives of Human ResourcesExecutive SummaryInformation technology can shift the focus of HR functions to allow professionals toattend to other issues, and change how organizations manage and deliver HR; it can also becomea partner to develop and implement responses to competitive pressure, and help a companyachieve its strategic goals.IntroductionTorres-Coronas defines e-democracy as the technological advances in communicationmedia that provide employees with more information and more direct access to other employeesthan previously existed. Knowledge is a primary resource for workers, and the sharing of thisknowledge through technology is an important tool for an organization. However, empowermentthrough knowledge creates decentralization and information access in companies that are stillorganized in a hierarchy of small management groups, where employee empowerment is limited(Torres-Coronas, 2004).Exposition
The impact on HRM and e-democracy
An e-democracy takes advantage of participatory management practices, organizationalcitizenship, and communities of practice. This encourages a more democratic organizationalshape to a company’s structure; forcing a change in employee views of their role in theorganization. Social identity theory is based on how our identities are defined by our interactionswith others in a group, which gives us a sense of where we fit in society. Because organizationsare structured networks of groups and inter-group relations, and because employees favor their workgroup more than other workgroups, changes that affect these workgroups and their relations2
 
Boustanican have serious effects on individual employees in terms of their identities and loyalties (Torres-Coronas, 2004).Although technology can successfully increase access to information across anorganization, employees may see technology changes to be about their job satisfaction andcommitment; including the status, power, and resources of their workgroups. HR practitionersneed to consider these perceptions and inter-group relations for smooth transitions duringchanges. Otherwise, the high expectations for change when new technologies are implementedmay result in a failed adoption of a complex technology, and expensive IT systems may beabandoned without reaching their full potential (Torres-Coronas, 2004).Studies of implementation at a metropolitan hospital have shown that instead of increasing input and knowledge, failure to train and support employees can actually lead tofrustration and reduced efficiency. The same studies also show that employees involved in theimplementation and monitoring of changes received them more positively than those who weresuddenly confronted with them. However, the redistribution of authority did not change asexpected and staff empowerment did not increase. Furthermore, those identifying with specificworkgroups, or in-group, were threatened by the fact that the implementation was beingmanaged by another workgroup, or out-group. They were mostly concerned with changing roles, but group relations and status remained mostly unchanged (Torres-Coronas, 2004).Hospital staff members were concerned about the effects of new technologies on face-to-face communications and ultimately relationships with others. While some enjoyed havinginformation at their fingertips, others feared that not having it handed to them with instructions by a more qualified person would reduce efficiencies and education. The most commonconcerns were about being forced to use a new system without training or compensation; of role3
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