The Impact of Human Resources Practices on IT Personnel Commitment, Citizenship Behaviors and Turnover Intentions

The past few years have been the most threatening period for enterprises that use, manage or deal in IT. The source of the tumult has been the demand, supply, recruitment and especially retention of IT professionals. Recent literature reveals that a heavy investment in the implementation of HR practices may contribute to organizational success, specifically by reducing the turnover of IT professionals. As of today, very few empirical studies have rigorously examined the influence of relevant HR practices on turnover intentions of IT people. This study offers to fill that gap by testing an integrated model of turnover intentions that addresses the unique nature of the IT profession. De nature conceptuelle, cet article présente un modèle de recherche portant sur la rétention des spécialistes en informatique au Québec. Ce modèle, inspiré largement de la littérature en gestion des ressources humaines, en comportement organisationnel et en technologies de l'information, examine les diverses relations entre sept types de pratiques de ressources humaines, deux formes particulières de comportements discrétionnaires, deux dimensions de l'engagement organisationnel et les intentions de quitter des spécialistes en technologies de l'information. La méthodologie utilisée pour tester les différentes hypothèses sous-jacentes au modèle de recherche est brièvement décrite. En dernier lieu, les limites principales de l'étude ainsi que les implications pour les recherches futures sont mises en lumière.Information technology (IT) staffing issues, turnover among IT specialists, attitudes, Gestion du personnel en technologies de l'information, mouvement (rétention) des spécialistes en technologies de l'information, attitudes

Information Technology Sophistication in Hospitals: A Field Study in Quebec

The Quebec health sector has been experiencing a period of great turmoil over the last five years. Among other institutions, hospitals are faced with huge pressures from government funding cuts. Several empirical studies in the information systems field have shown that the use of computer-based information systems could have positive impacts on organizational performance. Many agree to say that health care institutions are no exceptions. But if one wishes to identify the effects of IT on the delivery of care, one must be able to characterize IT for operationalization purposes. The objective of this research project is twofold. Our first aim consists in developing and validating a measurement instrument of IT sophistication in hospitals. Such instrument should provide hospital managers with a diagnostic tool capable of indicating the profile of their respective institutions in regard to IT use and comparing this profile to those of other similar health institutions. In this line of thought, our second objective consists in presenting the IT sophistication profile of Quebec hospitals. Le secteur de la santé au Québec vit à l'heure des grands bouleversements. Plusieurs s'entendent à dire que les hôpitaux n'ont d'autre alternative que de faire appel aux technologies de pointe afin d'assurer un niveau de qualité des soins adéquat tout en minimisant les coûts associés à ces mêmes soins. Or, si l'on veut identifier les effets de la TI sur la performance des hôpitaux, il faut être capable de définir cette TI en tant que construit et caractériser cette dernière dans un but d'opérationalisation en tant que variable indépendante, dépendante ou modératrice dans un cadre conceptuel de recherche. Cette étude vise deux objectifs particuliers. Le premier consiste à développer un questionnaire mesurant le degré de sophistication des TI en milieu hospitalier et à le valider auprès de la population des hôpitaux québécois. Notre second objectif est de présenter, de façon sommaire, le profil des hôpitaux du Québec en matière de sophistication des TI.IT sophistication, measurement instrument, hospital information systems, Sophistication des TI, instrument de mesure, SI en milieu hospitalier

The Measurement and Antecedents of Turnover Intentions among IT Professionals

The purpose of this study is to present and test an integrated model of turnover intentions that addresses the unique nature of the IT profession. We identified a multidimensional set of HR practices likely to increase retention among IT employees and considered citizenship behaviors as well as two distinct types of organizational commitment as key antecedents of turnover intentions. A questionnaire was developed and sent to the Quebec members of the Canadian Information Processing Society. Data from 394 respondents were used to validate the measures and test our research model. We present and discuss the results and make a series of recommendations for IT and HR executives. Dans cette étude, nous présentons et testons un modèle de recherche portant sur la rétention des spécialistes en TI. Ce modèle examine les relations entre diverses pratiques de GRH, les comportements discrétionnaires, l'engagement organisationnel et les intentions de quitter des spécialistes en TI. Un questionnaire fût développé et envoyé aux membres de la Fédération de l'Informatique du Québec (FIQ). Les données de 394 questionnaires ont servi aux fins d'analyses statistiques. Nous présentons et discutons les résultats obtenus et faisons une série de recommandations aux hauts dirigeants en TI et en RH.IS staffing issues, IS turnover, attitudes, Gestion du personnel en TI, roulement du personnel en TI, attitudes

Enhancing the Rigor of Qualitative Research: Application of a Case Methodology to Build Theories of IT Implementation

This paper presents and illustrates how the approach proposed by Eisenhardt (1989) for building theories from intensive qualitative research, more precisely case study research, can help information systems and medical informatics researchers understand and explain the inherently dynamic nature of IT implementation. The approach, which adopts a positivist view of research, relies on past literature and empirical data as well as on the insights of the researcher to build incrementally more powerful theories. We describe in some detail how this methodology was applied in a particular case study on IT implementation in the health care context and how the use of this approach contributed to the discovery of a number of new perspectives and empirical insights. Furthermore, we provide insights into the many choices that a researcher must make when adopting this methodological approach. Overall, using Eisenhardt\u27s approach as a starting point, our objective is to provide a rigorous, step-by-step methodology for using case studies to build theories within the information systems and medical informatics fields. We provide several insights to the nature of case research, information on and concrete examples of specific techniques and tools, and guidance on how to improve intensive case research

Investigating Information Systems with Positivist Case Research

This paper offers a rigorous step-by-step methodology for developing theories and contains specific and detailed guidelines for IS researchers to follow in carrying out positivist case studies. The methodology is largely inspired by the work of Yin [2003], Eisenhardt [1989], Miles and Huberman [1994] and several others who are strong proponents of and have wide experience in this research approach. It also relies on previous key contributions to the positivist case research method in IS [Benbasat et al., 1987; Lee, 1989; Dubé and Paré, 2003]. We illustrate how this methodology can be applied in our field to help find new perspectives and empirical insights. In addition, the desired qualities associated with several of the proposed concepts and the techniques and tools included in the methodology are presented. We believe that the two detailed case studies presented in this paper represent highly rigorous, yet different applications of the positivist case research method and, hence, we strongly encourage IS researchers to follow their respective approaches

The Role of Organizational Commitment and Citizenship Behaviors in Understanding Relations between Human Resources Practices and Turnover Intentions of IT Personnel

The primary objective of this study is to present and test an integrated model of turnover intentions which addresses the unique nature of the information technology (IT) profession. It identifies a multidimensional set of human resources (HR) practices likely to increase retention among IT employees. It also considers organizational citizenship behaviors and two distinct types of organizational commitment as key antecedents of turnover intentions. A second goal is to explore the moderating effects of organizational commitment and citizenship behaviors on HR practices-turnover intention relationships. A questionnaire was developed and sent to the Québec members of the Canadian Information Processing Society. Data from 394 respondents were used to validate the measures and test the research model. Findings reveal that IT specialists are particularly sensitive to four types of HR policies and practices: distributive justice, competence development, empowerment, and recognition. Results also provide additional support for the generalizability of the two-component model of organizational commitment in the IT context. This study is the first to show that the effects of various HR practices on turnover intentions among IT specialists depend upon the nature of their commitment to the organization. Similarly, we found that citizenship behaviors not only mediate but also moderate HR practicesturnover intention relationships. Implications of these results for practice and research are discussed. Dans cette étude, nous présentons et testons un modèle de recherche portant sur la rétention des spécialistes en TI. Ce modèle examine les relations entre diverses pratiques de GRH, les comportements discrétionnaires, l'engagement organisationnel et les intentions de quitter des spécialistes en TI. Un questionnaire fût développé et envoyé aux membres de la Fédération de l'Informatique du Québec (FIQ). Les données de 394 questionnaires ont servi aux fins d'analyses statistiques. Les résultats de cette étude révèlent que les spécialistes en TI au Québec sont particulièrement sensibles à quatre types de pratiques de GRH, soit: la justice distributive, la reconnaissance non-monétaire, le développement des compétences professionnelles et la responsabilisation. Notre étude est également la toute première à démontrer clairement que l'impact des pratiques de GRH sur l'intention de quitter des spécialistes en TI dépend à la fois du niveau d'engagement et de mobilisation des employés. Nos résultats confirment enfin l'importance relative de deux formes distinctes d'engagement organisationnel (affectif et continu) dans un tel contexte. Sur la base des résultats obtenus, nous faisons une série de recommandations aux hauts dirigeants.IS staffing issues, IS turnover, HRM practices, Gestion du personnel en TI, roulement du personnel en TI, pratiques de GRH

A Framework for Guiding and Evaluating Literature Reviews

Given that the synthesis of cumulated knowledge is an essential condition for any field to grow and develop, we believe that the enhanced role of IS reviews requires that this expository form be given careful scrutiny. Over the past decade, several senior scholars have made calls for more review papers in our field. While the number of IS review papers has substantially increased in recent years, no prior research has attempted to develop a general framework to conduct and evaluate the rigor of standalone reviews. In this paper, we fill this gap. More precisely, we present a set of guidelines for guiding and evaluating IS literature reviews and specify to which review types they apply. To do so, we first distinguish between four broad categories of review papers and then propose a set of guidelines that are grouped according to the generic phases and steps of the review process. We hope our work will serve as a valuable source for those conducting, evaluating, and/or interpreting reviews in our field

How Good Is the Professional\u27s Aptitude in the Conceptual Understanding of Change Management?

As information technology (IT) functions and their professionals become partners in managing the information resource of the organization, contributors to the strategic planning process and major players in the business, rather than appendages which can be outsourced, new skills and competencies are needed for IT personnel. In particular, the proposition that IT specialists will have to function more like change agents has been echoed by a number of writers. However, there has been no prior empirical research that explicitly measures the degree of knowledge that IT specialists possess about fundamental concepts in the management of change in organizations. The present study offers to fill that gap. Data were collected using a survey instrument, the Managing Change Questionnaire, which was mailed to over 2,200 Canadian IT specialists. Of the sample, 18% returned completed questionnaires. ANOVA and t-test were used to identity differences among categories of respondents. Overall, IT practitioners\u27 scores were acceptable but not particularly impressive. Results indicate that most IT specialists could pass the test regarding their knowledge of the concepts underlying organizational change management, and in the techniques needed to implement such a process, but they were not outstanding in that knowledge. Further, senior IT managers and systems/business analysts demonstrated a better grasp of many of the issues inherent in organizational change efforts than did technical personnel. Implications of these results for research as well as practice and educational programs in IT are discussed

La dynamique de transformation de la direction des systèmes d’information

Les directions des systèmes d’information (DSI) se sont considérablement transformées depuis leur apparition dans les organisations. Pourtant, peu de chercheurs ont tenté de mieux comprendre le processus de transformation des DSI. Cet article a donc pour objectif d’explorer la question suivante : comment et pourquoi les DSI se transforment-elles au sein des organisations ? Afin d’étudier cette question, nous avons développé un cadre concep- tuel d’analyse construit autour d’une typologie des DSI qui s’appuie également sur la théorie des équilibres ponctués. Deux études de cas ont été menées dans des entreprises provenant de secteurs d’affaires différents. Nos résultats suggèrent que les DSI se transforment en réaction à des forces secondaires qui les poussent vers le changement, mais uniquement lorsque ces forces secondaires agissent sur elles par l’intermédiaire de trois forces primaires, soient : 1) la vision de l’organisation quant au potentiel des outils technologiques, 2) la participation du chef de l’information (CI) à la prise de décision stratégique et 3) le niveau de connaissance en systèmes d’information des membres de la haute direction. Lorsque les forces secondaires n’affectent pas les forces primaires, une DSI conserve son profil idéal existant. Cette étude vient combler un vide important dans la littérature en systèmes d’information en proposant une théorie explicative de la dynamique de transformation de la DSI dans les organisations