Adoption of Human Resource Information Systems by Faculty Members: Qualitative Evidence from Universities in Pakistan

Abstract

In the digital age of today, a large number of higher education institutions have adopted Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) to improve the overall efficiency of operations. With the exponential growth in education sector of Pakistan and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of HRIS has considerably expanded for all stakeholders, particularly faculty members of universities. This study aims to explore the factors that motivate universities to implement HRIS, the role of HRIS in enhancing the productivity of faculty members, and the constraints associated with the use of HRIS. This qualitative study follows the descriptive phenomenology approach to explore the significance of HRIS for faculty members. Non-probability purposeful sampling was used to select 14 faculty members who were interviewed at seven Pakistani universities. The study establishes that HRIS is considered a valuable technology for streamlining HR functions of universities in general and faculty members in particular.