The Grant Corporation Information Technology Essay

This report studies how to implement human resources information system, problems faced by Director of HR at grant incorporation in order to implement new HRIS and the corrective measures that should have been done to facilitate the change are studied in this case report. The critical success factors and weaknesses in various stages of implementing an HRIS are explored in the paper. The problems are rooted mainly in two factors. One is that HR department lacks knowledge about HRIS and secondly poor communication in the change process. According to (Hammer, 2000) some organizations are not successful in implementing human resource information systems. The system fails because the various software programs are not integrated and information is often missing. Some possible ways to prevent or solve these problems are: 1) consider add-ons, 2) get portal power, 3) integrate the system, 4) hire or host, 5)use what you have, 6) restructure the team, and 7) don’t go it alone. The recommendations based on research are provided in this report.

The Grant Corporation

The following case analysis report includes scenario of change management process at The Grant Corporation. The HRD at Grant Corporation needed to expand to keep up with the growth of organization. Newly hired Director of HR, Julia Woodland suggested implementation of a HRIS system to deal with existing HR issues. But it was not successfully implemented. According to (Mackenzie, 2010), increasingly, the failure to successfully implement information systems have less to do with the hardware or software aspects of the new system and more to do with the skills of the change leader and the people and organizational issues related to the change. The cause of problem that arises at grant incorporation involves lack of leadership, communication, planning, change management, and training.

Woodland’s Evaluation

Julia Woodland executed a successful need analysis and concluded that HRD requires advance technology to perform efficiently and effectively. She proposed the purchase of an integrated payroll/HRIS that will integrate the finance department’s system, benefits and 401(k) provider’s systems, which got approved. Woodland was so overwhelmed with the project; she overlooked the fact that the success requires participation and commitment from all areas of the firm.

Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions (Michael J. Kavanagh & Mohan Thite, 2008) states The Eight-Stage Change process(Kotter,1996), the steps are to Create a sense of urgency, recruit powerful change leaders, build a vision and effectively communicate it, remove obstacles, create quick wins, and develop your momentum. If Julia had followed this process, it could have helped her to make the change part of the Grant Corporation.

Required Individuals for Change Process

In my opinion, top management support is required from beginning, all through the execution & evaluation of project along with the people who are going to be affected. In this case IT department, HR department, Payroll would have been included from the initial stage of process. As, employee communication is especially critical when we’re “trying to get others to see and do things differently” (Duck, 2001, p.27)

Staffing Errors and Their Impact

There are three primary activities in an HRIS implementation – configuring the HRIS for the firm’s business processes and policies, interfacing data with other systems and converting historical data into the HRIS, and preparing the organization for the new HRIS. Woodland failed to involve, consult key people from organization in change process, she had unrealistic expectations, that her staff would welcome the new system, there was lack of communication which created distrust among HRD, and which impacted adversely on management commitment resulting in failure of implementation of HRIS. (Lorenzi, 2000) noted that for successful implementation of IT system, effective leadership, planning, change management techniques, communication, and training should be comprehend. Woodland should have considered these factors to achieve her goal.

Importance of Cultural Issues

“Organizational culture is defined as a complex set of shared beliefs, guiding values, behavioral norms, and basic assumptions acquired over time that shape our thinking and behavior; they are part of the social fabric of the organization-its genetic code. As such, culture drives the organization and guides the behavior of everyone in that organization-how they think, feel, and act. In other words, the culture forms a behavior template”. (Michael J. Kavanagh & Mohan Thite, 2008, p. 192).

Woodland would have understood the organizational cultural prior implementing the change. By developing a better understanding of the organizational culture, she could have implemented the strategies regarding change which employees might have embraced.

Communication Plan

If I had been in Woodland`s position I would have developed a communication plan that would have defined clear and concise roles for employees involved in the change process. Communication is one of the important tools in implementing effective change strategies for success. As (Michael J. Kavanagh & Mohan Thite, 2008) defined in the Case for Change:

Reason for change, Vision for future, Plan for getting there, Believe change is achievable and clear expectations must be included in communication plan. Having a company meeting to stage the beginning of these new ideas will provide the employees with the information they need to embrace any impending changes that the company is making and to their role in the new vision for the future.

Training

In this case training would help employees at to cope with organizational change by enabling them understand why it happens, why it is needed and what it means to them and to organization. With proper training employees would feel confident in using HRIS, and training would reduce their concerns, thus encouraging them to be a part of change.

User Acceptance

The Grant Corporation must involve end users in planning of HRIS project from beginning. According to (Michael J. Kavanagh & Mohan Thite, 2008) when users are included in planning, acceptance testing, and switching over to a new HRIS, their commitment, trust increases for the project. Woodland must keep ongoing communication with employees, along with feedback to make HRIS user friendly. Woodland must inform employees regarding decisions made and by asking them to provide input on those decisions to make system accepted by them.

Process Reengineering

The process reengineering is beneficial as this would allow the company to obtain its full return on investment (ROI). With reengineering they can gain full potential of new system, instead of just automating existing processes. The firm will alter their conservative processes to align themselves with the new technology. (Michael J. Kavanagh & Mohan Thite, 2008).

Implementation Maintenance and Support

HR and IT departments will have to establish a help desk to assist employees with their concerns. They will also need to ensure system is being used correctly. New policies and procedures must be established for the use of electronic data addressing security and privacy concerns. Effectiveness and efficiency of system should be monitored. Ongoing communication and training is vital for proper maintenance and support of the system.

CONCLUSION

The Grant Corporation case analyzes importance of good technical and organizational skills for successful implementation of an HRIS system. The success of a HRIS system exists in understanding organization culture, ongoing communication along with effective implementation process. “Change management is a process by which an organization moves from its current state to some future desired state as defined by its vision”. (Michael J. Kavanagh & Mohan Thite, 2008, p. 201).

REFRENCES:

Duck, J. The change monster. New york: Crown Business.

Hammer, M. 2002. “Recharging your HRMS” Workforce. 81(9): 38-41. (2002).

Retrieved from http://gspa.nida.ac.th/load.php

Lorenzi, N. &. (2000). managing change:An overview. Journal of the american medical informatics association, 116-124.

Mackenzie, A. (2010). Chapter 8 – Course Notes.htm.

Michael J. Kavanagh, M. T. (2008). Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future

Directions. SAGE, 2008.