Uni e sidade do Minho
Escola de Economia e Ges ão
Cao T an T uc Ngan
The ou comes o e-HRM: Case s udies in
companies in Po ugal
julho de 2021
Cao T an T uc Ngan
UMinho | 2021
The ou comes o e-HRM:
Case s udies in companes in Po ugal
Uni e sidade do Minho
Escola de Economia e Ges ão
Cao T an T uc Ngan
The ou comes o e-HRM: Case s udies in
companies in Po ugal
Disse ação de Mes ado
Ges ão de Recu sos Humanos
T abalho e e uado sob a o ien ação da
P o esso a Ana C is ina de Almeida e Ca alho
julho de 2021
ii
DIREITOS DE AUTOR E CONDIÇÕES DE UTILIZAÇÃO DO TRABALHO POR
TERCEIROS
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iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I is a long jou ney wi h many challenges since I s a ed my mas e 's deg ee in Po ugal. I ha e ecei ed
a g ea deal o suppo and encou agemen o o e come hese challenges and inish my esea ch.
Fi s o all, I would like o exp ess my deep g a i ude o my supe iso , P o esso Ana Ca alho, o he
conside able suppo as well as in aluable guidance o my s udy.
I would like o gi e my special hanks o my pa en s, Nghia and Suo , my younge sis e , Giang, my
younge b o he s, Kie and Nhan, my li e niece, An Vy, and my g andpa en s. They gi e me ully suppo
and mo i a ion o ollow my pa h. I would like o hank B o he Quyen Nguyen as well. He inspi es me in
lea ning and helps me o e come challenges when I li e in Po ugal.
I would like o hank my iends in he Uni e si y o Minho, especially And éa Simon, o hei suppo o
my s udy. My hanks o M s. Ma ia Conceição o he conside a ion and encou agemen .
Las bu no leas , I'm g a e ul o he uncondi ional suppo o DST G oup, especially HR Di ec o José
Machado, Cachapuz, especially CEO G aça Coelho and he echnological company. My since e and deep
g a i ude o hem.
Li e is a jou ney wi h challenges o o e come and lessons o lea n. Bu abo e all, enjoy he expe iences.
This s age in my jou ney means a lo o me and opens a new ho izon. I hope ha I ha e s eng h o
pu suing and achie ing my goals.
i
STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY
I he eby decla e ha ing conduc ed his academic wo k wi h in eg i y. I con i m ha I ha e no used
plagia ism o any o m o undue use o in o ma ion o alsi ica ion o esul s along he p ocess leading o
i s elabo a ion.
I u he decla e ha I ha e ully acknowledged he Code o E hical Conduc o he Uni e si y o Minho.

Resumo
Obje i os: O obje i o des e es udo é p opo ciona uma b e e e isão que pe mi a (a) melho a a
comp eensão sob e a GRH ele ónica (e-GRH) com base na li e a u a exis en e sob e e-GRH, (b) explo a
os esul ados da e-GRH pela pe spe i a da o ganização.
Design/ Me odologia: Com base na li e a u a, o am conduzidos ês es udos de caso em emp esas
em Po ugal. As o ganizações de di e en es con ex os o am selecionadas. Os dados o am ecolhidos
a a és de en e is as semies u u adas. A análise seguiu a compa ação en e casos.
Resul ados: O es udo indica que a e-GRH oi in oduzida nas o ganizações pa a melho a a e iciência,
a p es ação de se iço e comunicação in e na, eduzi cus os, acili a a ges ão de pessoas, aumen a a
o ien ação es a égica e pad oniza polí icas e p ocessos. A u ilização mais equen e de e-GRH nas
emp esas é na á ea da comunicação in e na e a e as adminis a i as. Os esul ados da e-GRH são
sob e udo elacionados com a melho ia na comunicação, ganhos de e iciência e melho ia do se iço
p es ado. A pad onização é conseguida al com p e endido; um esul ado não planeado é o
empowe men
dos ges o es. A o ien ação es a égica é conside ada um esul ado po encial da e-GRH. A e-GRH po si
só não é su icien e pa a o na o depa amen o de GRH mais es a égico. Os a o es que in luenciam o
sucesso da e-GRH são o apoio pela ges ão de opo, a es u u a o ganizacional, as pe ceções dos
emp egados e a dimensão da emp esa.
Limi a ions/ Implica ions: A e-GRH é um apoio ú il à ges ão. Pode acili a mas não subs i ui o
humano na ges ão de ecu sos humanos. A limi ação p incipal des e es udo é a di iculdade em
gene aliza a pa i da in es igação es i a a ão poucos casos.
Keywo ds: Ges ão de Recu sos Humanos Ele ónica (e-GRH), obje i os de e-GRH, esul ados de e-GRH,
a o es in luenciado es do sucesso da adoção de e-GRH
i
Abs ac
Pu pose: The aim o his s udy is o p o ide a b ie e iew o (a) enhance he unde s anding abou
elec onic-HRM (e-HRM) upon he exis ing li e a u e on e-HRM, and (b) o explo e he ou comes o e-HRM
om o ganiza ional pe spec i e.
Design/ Me hodology: Based upon he li e a u e, h ee case s udies we e conduc ed in companies in
Po ugal. O ganiza ions we e selec ed om a numbe o di e en con ex s. Da a was ga he ed h ough
semi-s uc u ed in e iews. The analysis ollowed a c oss-case compa ison.
Findings: The s udy indica es ha E-HRM was in oduced in o ganiza ions o imp o e e iciency, se ice
deli e y and in e nal communica ion, educe cos , acili a e employee managemen , inc ease he s a egic
o ien a ion and s anda dize policies and p ocesses. The highes use o e-HRM in he companies is in he
a ea o in e nal communica ion and adminis a i e asks. E-HRM ou comes a e mainly ela ed o
communica ion imp o emen , e iciency gains and se ice deli e y imp o emen . S anda diza ion is
achie ed as in ended; as unin ended ou comes o e-HRM is enabling managemen empowe . S a egic
o ien a ion is conside ed as a po en ial ou come o e-HRM. E-HRM alone is no su icien o make he
HRM depa men become mo e s a egic. Fac o s in luencing he success o e-HRM adop ion a e op
managemen suppo , o ganiza ional s uc u e, employee's pe cep ion and he size o he o ganiza ion.
Limi a ions/ Implica ions: E-HRM is a use ul suppo o managemen . I can acili a e bu i canno
subs i u e he human in human esou ce managemen . The main limi a ion o his s udy is he di icul y
o o m gene aliza ion om he esea ch es ic ed o a ew companies.
Keywo ds: Elec onic Human Resou ce Managemen (e-HRM), e-HRM goals, e-HRM ou comes, ac o s
in luencing he success o e-HRM adop ion
ii
Con en s
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. iii
Resumo ........................................................................................................................................
Abs ac ...................................................................................................................................... i
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
2. STATE-OF-THE-ART ON E-HRM RESEARCH ......................................................................... 4
2.1 O e iew o he his o y and majo e olu ion in e-HRM ................................................ 4
2.2. The concep o e-HRM ................................................................................................... 4
2.3. Types o E-HRM .............................................................................................................. 7
2.4. E-HRM goals and expec ed ou comes. ......................................................................... 9
2.5 E-HRM unc ions ........................................................................................................... 17
2.6. C i ical Success Fac o s ............................................................................................. 21
3. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 25
3.1 The esea ch ques ion .................................................................................................. 25
3.2 Resea ch p oposi ions .................................................................................................. 26
3.3 The case s udies ........................................................................................................... 26
3.4 Case s udy echniques .................................................................................................. 27
4. RESULTS .............................................................................................................................. 29
4.1. DST G oup .................................................................................................................... 30
4.2 Cachapuz....................................................................................................................... 36
4.3 Anonymous Technology Company ............................................................................... 39
5. Discussion............................................................................................................................ 44
6. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 49
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 51
APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW SCRIPT RELATING E-HRM FUNCTIONS TO THE HR OFFICERS 55
iii
APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW SCRIPT RELATING GOALS, OUTCOMES OF E-HRM USE AND
INFLUENCE FACTORS TO THE HR DIRECTOR....................................................................... 57
APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW SCRIPT TO LINE MANAGER ........................................................ 59
APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW SCRIPT TO EMPLOYEE ................................................................ 60
7
“con igu a ions o compu e ha dwa e, so wa e and elec onic ne wo king esou ces ha enable in ended
o ac ual HRM ac i i ies (e.g. policies, p ac ices and se ices) h ough coo dina ing and con olling
indi idual and g oup-le el da a cap u e and in o ma ion c ea ion and communica ion wi hin and ac oss
o ganiza ional bounda ies” (p.2).
In o he wo ds, e-HRM is he planning, implemen a ion and applica ion o in o ma ion echnology o bo h
ne wo king and suppo ing ac o s o implemen all ypes o HRM con en aiming a c ea ing alue wi hin
and ac oss o ganiza ions o a ge ed use s (HR p o essionals, manage s, employees, job applican s, HR
consul an s…). E-HRM is a sys em o in e ac i e and communica ion ha is enabled h ough HRIS (R.
Johnson, K. Lukaszewski, & D. S one, 2016). As a esul s, he e-HRM e i o y ocuses on all in eg a ion
mechanisms and all HRM con en sha ed ia IT ha aim o make HRM p ocesses dis inc i e and
consis en , mo e e icien , high in quali y and which c ea e long- e m oppo uni ies wi hin and ac oss
o ganiza ions o a ge ed use s (Tanya Bonda ouk & B ews e , 2016a). The aim o e-HRM is suppo he
achie emen o HRM by ul illing all dis inguished ypes ha IT may se e HRM.
2.3. Types o E-HRM
Human esou ce managemen (HRM) is conce ned wi h all aspec s o how people a e employed and
managed in o ganiza ions. I co e s he ac i i ies o s a egic HRM, human capi al managemen ,
knowledge managemen , co po a e social esponsibili y, o ganiza ion de elopmen , esou cing (wo k o ce
planning, ec ui men and selec ion and alen managemen ), lea ning and de elopmen , pe o mance
and ewa d managemen , employee ela ions, employee well-being and he p o ision o employee
se ices (A ms ong & Taylo , 2014). Au ho s ca ego ize HRM ac i i ies in di e en ways. Fo example,
W igh and Dye (2000) di ide HR ac i i ies in o h ee dis inguish ypes: ansac ional, adi ional, and
ans o ma ional. T ansac ional ac i i ies in ol e day- o-day ansac ions ha ha e o deal mos ly wi h
eco d keeping — o example, en e ing pay oll in o ma ion, acking employee s a us changes, and he
adminis a ion o employee bene i s. T adi ional ac i i ies in ol e HR p og ams such as planning,
ec ui ing, selec ion, aining, compensa ion, and pe o mance managemen . These ac i i ies can ha e
s a egic alue o he o ganiza ion i hei esul s o ou comes a e consis en wi h he s a egic goals o
he o ganiza ion. T ans o ma ional ac i i ies a e hose ac i i ies ha add alue o he o ganiza ion — o
example, cul u al o o ganiza ional change, s uc u al ealignmen , s a egic edi ec ion, and inc easing
inno a ion (Thi e & Ka anagh, 2009).

8
In his disse a ion, I will use he classi ica ion o HR ac i i ies p oposed by Lepak and Snell (1998),
namely ope a ional HRM, ela ional HRM and ans o ma ional HRM. The i s a ea, ope a ional HRM,
conce ns he basic HR ac i i ies in he adminis a i e a ea which a e also called ze o le el o obliga o y
p ac ices because hese a e usually conside ed essen ial o he exis ence o HR unc ion, such as sala y
adminis a ion (pay oll) and pe sonnel da a adminis a ion. The second a ea, ela ional HRM, conce ns
mo e ad anced HRM ac i i ies ha suppo basic business p ocesses and in e -pe sonal ela ionships
which a e a ool o manage he ela ionship be ween o ganiza ions and hei employees (Bissola &
Impe a o i, 2013) such as ec ui ing and he selec ion o new pe sonnel, aining, pe o mance
managemen and app aisal, and ewa ds. The hi d a ea, ans o ma ional HRM, ocuses on HRM
ac i i ies wi h a s a egic cha ac e o align employee a i udes and beha io wi h he o ganiza ion’s
s a egy including ac i i ies ega ding o ganiza ional change p ocesses, s a egic e-o ien a ion, s a egic
compe ence managemen , and s a egic knowledge managemen (Bissola & Impe a o i, 2013; Iqbal,
Ahmad, Raziq, & Bo ini, 2019; Lepak & Snell, 1998; Pa y & Tyson, 2011; H. J. M. Ruël e al., 2004;
S e an S ohmeie , 2007).
Wi hin all ypes o HRM, choices can be made in e ms o which HRM ac i i ies will be o e ed ace- o- ace
o h ough he suppo o in o ma ion echnology (H. J. M. Ruël e al., 2004; W igh & Dye , 2000).
Bonda ouk & Ruël (2009) make a clea dis inc ion on hese ypes o HR ac i i ies by compa ing he
possible solu ions o HR p ac ices: h ough ace- o- ace in e ac ion o web-enabled unc ions. Fo
ope a ional- ype HRM, he choice is be ween asking employees o keep hei own pe sonal da a up- o-
da e h ough an HR websi e o o ha e an adminis a i e o ce in place o do his o hem. Fo ela ional
HRM, he e is a choice be ween suppo ing ec ui men and selec ion h ough a web-based applica ion
o using a pape -based app oach ( h ough ad e isemen s, pape -based applica ion o ms and le e s
e c.). Finally, in e ms o ans o ma ional HRM, i is possible o c ea e a change- eady wo k o ce h ough
an in eg a ed se o web-based ools ha enables he wo k o ce o de elop in line wi h he company’s
s a egic choices o o use pape -based ma e ials. Wi h his line o easoning, h ee ypes o e-HRM can
be dis inguished: ope a ional e-HRM, ela ional e-HRM and ans o ma ional e-HRM. These h ee ypes o
e-HRM a e used in his s udy. Table 2 shows he classi ica ion o e-HRM p ac ices in o he esea ches.
9
Table 2: Classi ica ion o e-HRM p ac ices
Classi ica ion o e-HRM p ac ices
Sou ce
Ope a ional e-HRM
Rela ional e-HRM
T ans o ma ional e-
HR
(Lengnick-Hall
& Mo i z,
2003)
Publishing in o ma ion
e.g., company policies
and p ocedu es,
bene i s, di ec o ies o
se ices, cu en e en s
Au oma ion o ansac ional
and wo k low wi h di e en
applica ion p og ams.
Manage s and employees
can access da abases,
upda e in o ma ion, sea ch
o needed in o ma ion, and
make decisions.
T ans o ma ion o HR
unc ion om i s
ope a ional ocus owa d
a s a egy one: s a egic
pa ne ing, cen e s o
expe ise, knowledge
managemen
(Ma in &
Redding on,
2010)
Vi ual HR in o ma ion
E- aining, e-lea ning,
in e nal/ex e nal
ec ui men and sea ch o
social ne wo king si es,
online-ca ee
de elopmen and
pe o mance managemen
Knowledge
managemen ,
o ganiza ional lea ning
and in e na ional i ual
communi ies o p ac ice
( h ough he use o
social media
echnologies e.g., wikis,
blogs, media sha ing,
discussion o ums…)
(Pa y &
Tyson, 2011)
Web pay oll and
elec onic a endance
egis e s
e-lea ning, e- ec ui men
and selec ion, e-
pe o mance managemen
S a egic o ien a ion,
knowledge sha ing
(Bissola &
Impe a o i,
2013)
Reco d keeping,
Web-based pay oll
Online ca ee managemen
sys em, e-lea ning and
aining, web-based
pe o mance e alua ion
Knowledge
managemen sys em,
i m communi ies
(Iqbal e al.,
2019)
Adminis a i e HR asks
P ac ices suppo ing
employees’ knowledge,
skills, and ela ionships
inside he o ganiza ion
Knowledge
managemen , HR
planning, and alen
acquisi ion and
managemen
Acco dingly, an o ganiza ion has ways o implemen ing HR ac i i ies, such as adi ional deli e y o HR
ac i i ies o using IT suppo known as e-HRM. In he nex pa , he mo i es ha an o ganiza ion chooses
using IT o suppo HR as well as goals and expec ed ou comes o adop ing o e-HRM a e being examined.
2.4. E-HRM goals and expec ed ou comes
In gene al, he mo i es o o ganiza ions making a s ep owa d e-HRM can be seen as a esul o he o en
inc easing demands placed on he HR depa men as o ganiza ions con inue o s i e o achie e a
10
compe i i e ad an age (Lepak & Snell, 1998). Lepak and Snell (1998) e e ed o he ou p essu es o
HR depa men . The i s p essu e is o ocusing on s a egic ques ions wi h ega ds o de elopmen ,
planning and implemen a ion o compe ency-based s a egies by he HRM depa men . The s udy o 1050
companies by he Hacke G oup (1998) shows ha HR p o essionals ypically de o e less han a hi d o
hei ime o he mos c ucial s a egic HR ini ia i es (e.g., employee de elopmen , hi ing he bes people,
aining, ca ee managemen , pe o mance managemen ). Thei ime is s ill consumed mainly wi h lowe
alue-added, ou ine ac i i ies. The second p essu e is he need o he HRM depa men o become
lexible in e ms o policy making and p ac ices. Thi d is he p essu e o cos as he depa men should
wo k mo e e icien ly and be awa e o cos s. The las p essu e is he ocus on imp o ing se ice deli e y
owa ds managemen and employees. These p essu es d i e HR depa men o explo e new app oaches
o suppo he achie emen o HRM goals mo e gene ally (Lepak & Snell, 1998). E-HRM is conside ed as
a choice o an app oach o HRM. I is no a speci ic s age in he de elopmen o HRM bu “a way o doing
HRM” (H. J. M. Ruël e al., 2004).
E e y in es men wi hin an o ganiza ion seeks o he bene i s ha make he o ganiza ion be e o . E-
HRM is one o he in es men which is expec ed o deli e a se o bene i s, such as cos educ ions,
e iciency gains, p oduc i i y imp o emen s, in o ma ion sha ing and communica ions imp o emen s
(Lengnick-Hall & Mo i z, 2003). Wi h e-HRM, he HR depa men can c ea e compe i i e ad an age and
align he unc ions mo e closely wi h business o co po a e s a egy (Ma in & Redding on, 2010). Fi s ,
e-HRM can educe HR ansac ion cos s and HD headcoun by supplying HR in o ma ion o employees
on a i ual basis. Second, by le e aging he digi al asse s, o ganiza ions can e-use in o ma ion lexibly
a li le o no ma ginal cos , o example by deli e ing e- aining and e-lea ning o a la ge numbe o people
ac oss he globe. Thi d, e-HRM can acili a e mo e e ec i e i ual cus ome se ice by inc easing he
each and ichness o wo-way in o ma ion and communica ions, o example, enabling in e nal/ex e nal
ec ui men and sea ch o social ne wo king si es, online ca ee de elopmen and pe o mance
managemen , e c. Fou h, e-HRM can ans o m he adi ional HR o p o ide s a egic alue o
o ganiza ion. This ans o ma ional impac is mos ob ious in he eme ging use o he in e ac i e na u e
o he wo ld wide web in he o m o so-called Web 2.0 social media echnologies (e.g., wikis, blogs, media
sha ing, discussion o ums, e c.) o enable knowledge managemen and o ganiza ional lea ning, each
ou o he ‘V(i ual)-gene a ion’, and u he acili a e au hen ic employee oice (Ma in & Redding on,
2010).
De i ed om o ganiza ional p essu es and expec ed bene i s o e-HRM, he goals o e-HRM adop ion can
be se up. Di e en esea che s ha e discussed he goals ha undamen ally d i e he o ganiza ion in he
11
decision o adop e-HRM. The ou p essu es p oposed by Lepak & Snell (1998) co espond wi h h ee
ypes o goals o he adop ion e-HRM men ioned by Ruël, Bonda ouk and Looise (2004), namely
imp o ing he s a egic o ien a ion o HRM, cos educ ion/e iciency gains; and clien se ice
imp o emen . In he 2002 e-HRM su ey in he Uni ed S a es conduc ed by he consul ancy i m o
Wa son Wya , he esul s show ha companies' mo i es a e in line wi h he h ee goals abo e, ha is,
imp o ing he s a egic ole, educing adminis a i e HR wo k and imp o ing employees’ sa is ac ion wi h
HRM se ices. Ruël, Bonda ouk and Looise (2004) add a ou h goal ha is o inco po a e he globaliza ion
o o ganiza ions. E-HRM can be used o globalize he o ganiza ion wi h he associa ed HR policies and
p ac ices. Acco dingly, ou key e-HRM goals a e iden i ied: (1) Imp o ing he s a egic o ien a ion o HRM;
(2) Cos educ ion/E iciency gains; (3) Clien se ice imp o emen ; (4) Globaliza ion o S anda diza ion.
The li e a u e sugges s ha he a ious goals o e-HRM, and he di e en ypes o e-HRM, a e expec ed
o esul in po en ial ou comes ha include mo e e icien HRM p ocesses, a highe le el o se ice
deli e y and a be e s a egic con ibu ion (S. S ohmeie , 2007). Howe e , e-HRH ou comes can be bo h
in ended o unin ended, and also posi i e o nega i e. Much o he exis ing li e a u e has ocused on he
bene i s o e-HRM adop ion, bu i is becoming g adually ecognized ha he e a e po en ially nega i e
consequences om e-HRH adop ion o HR s a and hei in e nal clien s, especially i he issues
connec ed wi h change managemen and echnology accep ance a e handled ine ec i ely (Ma in &
Redding on, 2010). Lepak & Snell (1998) a gued ha in o ma ion echnology migh ha e in luence on
he ope a ional, ela ional and ans o ma ional aspec o HR unc ion. The ou goals also map on o hese
h ee impac s o IT on he HR unc ion. The e o e, his amewo k is used o discussing he goals and
he deg ee o ealiza ion o hese goals based on some esea ches abou e-HRM.
Fi s , IT can ha e an
ope a ional impac
by s eamlining ope a ions and alle ia ing much o he
adminis a i e bu den ha leads o cos educ ion and p oduc i i y imp o emen by au oma ing ou ine
asks and p ac ices (Lepak & Snell, 1998). Cos educ ion o e iciency gains is he p ima y goal when
o ganiza ions ini ially conside an e-HRM in es men and ealized as an expec ed ou come o e-HRM use
in many s udies. E-HRM can educe cos s and sa e employees’ ime by “allowing mo e ansac ions o
occu wi h ewe ixed esponses” (p.383) in p ocesses such as pay oll (Hend ickson, 2003). Ruel e al.
(2004) in an explo a i e empi ical s udy in i e la ge companies on web-based HRM ound ha he mos
common ou comes o e-HRM we e cos educ ion and a educ ion o he adminis a i e bu den, al hough
hese ou comes we e no gene ally measu ed. Ma le (2009) posi ed ha e-HRM enhanced cos sa ings
by au oma ing and allowing he HR unc ion o shi adminis a i e ac i i ies o employees h ough use o
sel -se ice echnologies, esul ing in lowe ansac ions cos s, imp o ing e iciency and educing
12
headcoun . Pa y and Tyson (2011) ound his imp o emen in nine ou o en case s udies wi h a ange
o UK o ganiza ions which we e in ended o educe cos s h ough headcoun educ ion wi hin HR unc ions
( hese educ ions we e ela i ely small), imp o ing cos e ec i eness, emo ing he use o pape o
imp o emen in he speed o p ocesses. Besides, he amoun o ime needed o ansac ions was
educed conside ably hanks o he au oma ion o p ocesses and he di ec en y o in o ma ion by
manage s, namely he use o e-HRM o app aisals and compensa ion planning, sala y e iews, bonus
a ings and absence eco ding. Howe e , Pa y (2011) in a la ge-scale su ey on mo e han 2000
companies ac oss 12 coun ies ound no e idence o cos sa ings due o educ ions in HR headcoun
(Pa y, 2011). In e es ingly, in a case s udy in a go e nmen al o ganiza ion on Belgium, T.Bonda ouk and
Ruel (2013) ound ha he HR headcoun had been educed since he implemen a ion o e-HRM.
The e o e, hey claimed mo e esea ches in o de o unde s and ully he ela ionship be ween e-HRM
adop ion and he HR headcoun .
Rega dless o he ac i i ies i sel and hei ypes, S ohmeie (2007) also conside s unc ions such as e-
lea ning, e- ec ui men and e-selec ion ( hese ac i i ies belong o ela ional e-HRM) o e iew e iciency
and e ec i eness ou comes o e-EHRM. The e iew shows ha conside able cos sa ings om e- ec ui ing
and e-selec ion a e epo ed, due o educed employee u no e , educed s a ing cos s, and inc eased
hi ing e iciency (Buckley e al., 2004). E-lea ning is also able o sa e cos s i used o la ge g oups o
lea ne s.
In a e iew o he li e a u e om 2003 o 2010, he pe iod in which e-HRM esea ch expanded ex ensi ely,
(H. J. M. Ruël & Kaap, 2012), show ha mos o he li e a u e ocused on use alue (e iciency, se ice
quali y, ime spen ) a he han cos educ ion. Al hough o ganiza ions in es subs an ial amoun s o
money in e-HRM, hey may no ha e ied o measu ed e-HRM ou comes in mone a y e ms as i is mo e
di icul o quan i y he in angible bene i s o be de i ed om an e-HRM sys em. While i is possible o
iden i y many ele an cos s associa ed wi h implemen ing an e-HRM sys em (e.g., so wa e, ha dwa e,
“wi ing he wo k o ce”, ha is, ensu ing ha e e yone has access o he e-HRM sys em, pe sonal
compu e s, In e ne connec ion…), i is mo e di icul o quan i y he in angible bene i s o be de i ed om
an e-HRM sys em (Lengnick-Hall & Mo i z, 2003). Ruël e al. (2004) al eady obse ed ha de e mining
an ou come such as cos educ ions o e u n on in es men due o e-HRM is e y di icul o
o ganiza ions. The e u n on in es men he e o e canno be seen as quick, i will need se e al yea s o
ecoup he ou goings. Simila ly, a esea ch abou e-HR adop ion and he ole o HRM in G eece
(Panayo opoulou, Vakola, & Galanaki, 2007) epo s he cos educ ion has no been iden i ied as an

13
in ended goal in companies ac oss G eece since adop ing e-HRM was qui e expensi e. As a esul , cos
educ ion is no likely o be a sho - ime ou come bu a long- ime one.
The goal o e iciency gains when applying e-HRM is also men ioned in many ecen esea ches. Fo
example, an empi ical esea ch on ac o s in luencing e-HRM implemen a ion in wo go e nmen
minis ies in Bangladesh e ealed an example o bene i s o e-HRM ha mo i a es he decision make s
o implemen e-HRM. They consis o cos educ ion, be e HR suppo , ease access o da a and
in o ma ion, as deli e y o se ices cen alising he da a, imp o ing he knowledge o employees, clea
legisla ions and ules, aligning he HR s a egy wi h o ganisa ion s a egy, e c...(Rahman, Mo di, &
Nwagba a, 2018). A s udy on he use o e-HRM in o ganiza ion in Se bia poin ed ou ha e-HRM
applica ion inc eases he e iciency and e ec i eness. The key ad an ages o e-HRM a e he as e , mo e
accu a e and easie p ocessing o in o ma ion abou employees, cos sa ings, he elease o HR manage s
om adminis a i e asks (Be be , Đo đe ić, & Milano ić, 2018). A esea ch conduc ed in he Uni ed
A ab Emi a es (UAE) shows he esul s ha all pa icipa ing HR Manage s speak posi i ely o he impac
o echnology in HR p ocesses men ioning he ollowing ad an ages: "ease o documen a ion; speed; ease
in communica ion ac oss Emi a es; use o elecon e encing; simplici y; g ea e o ganiza ion; less pape
wo k; inc ease in accessibili y; ease in collec ing compa a i e da a; imp o ed planning; imp o ed
pe o mance; imp o ed mo i a ion." (p.173) (Fenech, Baguan , I ano , & Sciences, 2019).
Second, he
ela ional aspec
o e-HRM conce ns mo e ad anced HRM ac i i ies ha suppo basic
business p ocesses and in e -pe sonal ela ionships which a e as a ool o manage he ela ionship
be ween o ganiza ions and hei employees (Bissola & Impe a o i, 2013). This esul s in HR se ice
imp o emen which ep esen s a c ucial goal in he decision o adop e-HRM as his is whe e he co e
dis inc i e ea u e o any HR depa men is de ined. The ecen o e iews o he e-HRM li e a u e show
g ea expec a ions o an imp o emen in HRM se ice quali y h ough he implemen a ion o e-HRM
(Tanya Bonda ouk, 2015). In addi ion, as ela ional aspec ocuses on in e -pe sonal ela ionships,
imp o ing in e nal communica ion is ano he impo an goal o using e-HRM. Telecommunica ion
echnology such as local a ea ne wo ks, email, and social media… helps o o e come geog aphic ba ie s.
As a esul , e-communica ion has imp o ed in e nal communica ion and collabo a ion among di e en
depa men s, wo k g oups, b anches and indi iduals (A a an, 2003; Fenech e al., 2019). The indings
in a esea ch in G eece (Panayo opoulou e al., 2007) show ha he highes use o e-HRM is epo ed in
he a ea o in e nal communica ion. This was an icipa ed, gi en he ac ha he majo eason o he
p esence o a company on he in e ne was communica ion (Panayo opoulou e al., 2007).E-HRM can
ha e di ec e ec in achie ing gene al imp o emen in se ice deli e y by inc easing he imeliness and
14
se ice le els wi h employees and manage s, as well as ou side pa ne s (Lepak & Snell, 1998). Schola s
claim ha he use o e-HRM has he po en ial o help he HR unc ion p o ide a be e se ice o i s in e nal
cus ome s, ha is o line manage s and employees, which is conside ed as he expe iences p o ided by
HR specialis s o in e nal cus ome s (Tanya Bonda ouk, 2015). By p o iding line manage s and
employees wi h emo e access o HR da a bases and in o ma ion, and inc easing hei abili y o connec
wi h o he pa s inside as well as ou side o he o ganiza ion, manage s and employees can pe o m HR
ac i i ies hemsel es (Lepak & Snell, 1998). Resea ch has ound e idence o e-HRM ha ing a posi i e
impac on HRM se ices h ough speeding up ansac ion p ocessing, simpli ica ion o HR p ocesses,
dec ease in in o ma ion e o s, imp o emen in he acking and con ol o HR ac ions and he applica ion
o adminis a i e HR ac i i ies, such as sala y and pe sonal da a managemen , hus imp o ing HR se ice
deli e y (Tanya Bonda ouk, Ruël, & an de Heijden, 2009; Ga dne , Lepak, & Ba ol, 2003; Lengnick-
Hall & Mo i z, 2003; H. Ruël & Bonda ouk, 2014). In a s udy in a wide a ie y o i ms, which ocused on
iden i ying he issues ha ing a signi ican impac on he ield o Human Resou ces, W igh and Dye
(2000) es ima e ha wi h he adi ional deli e y o HR, mos HR depa men s spend app oxima ely 65%
o 75% o hei ime on ansac ional ac i i ies, 15% o 30% on adi ional ac i i ies which a e c i ical o he
managemen o people, and 5% o 15% on ans o ma ional ac i i ies which a e conside ed he highes
alue-added ac i i ies. The e o e, he majo goal o implemen ing e-HRM is o le e age echnology o allow
o be e , as e , and sma e HR solu ions, ha is HR se ice imp o emen . Fo example, in o ma ion
sys ems we e un by he HR unc ion bu allowed employees o se e hemsel es by gi ing hem access
o make hei bene i en olmen , changes, o claims online (W igh & Dye , 2000). Pa y and Tyson (2011)
ound ha , among eigh o ganiza ions which we e in ended o achie e his goal, se en p o ided e idence
o success in wha hey call Se ice deli e y by emo ing duplica e keying o da a, mo e easy access o
in o ma ion and aining ma e ials and imp o ed accu acy and a ailabili y o da a o use in managemen
decision making (line manage s). Also, ela ional ou comes we e de ec ed in inc easing managemen ’s
sa is ac ion and employee sa is ac ion wi h HR (Tanya Bonda ouk, Pa y, & Fu muelle , 2017; Lepak &
Snell, 1998). E-HRM was epo ed as bene icial o employee sa is ac ion (Panayo opoulou e al., 2007;
Voe mans & Veldho en, 2007).
Besides ha ing di ec e ec s in achie ing gene al imp o emen s in se ice deli e y, e-HRM also has
indi ec e ec s in o de o imp o e he e ec i eness o he HR unc ion by empowe ing manage s o
pe o m HR asks hemsel es, such as ec ui men , pe o mance managemen and upda ing in o ma ion
(Pa y & Tyson, 2011). One case s udy e eals an ex ensi e decen aliza ion o execu ing HR ac i i ies by
shi ing esponsibili ies o line managemen and employees (Ruel, Bonda ouk, & Looise, 2004).
15
Howe e , he adop ion o e-HRM does no always ealize imp o ed HRM se ices. In some s udies i has
been ound o achie e less han expec ed (Tanya Bonda ouk, 2015). In he e iew, Bonda ouk (2015)
ci ed some emaining issues o e-HRM, such as pe sonnel depa men s s ill expe ience di icul ies wi h
adop ing new echnologies, e-HRM p ojec s con inue o epo ailu es, e-HRM echnology was p ima ily
used o simply suppo ou ine adminis a i e HR asks. In b ie , i did no imp o e HRM se ices (Tanya
Bonda ouk e al., 2017). Ga dne , Lepak and Ba ol (2003) disco e ed ha , a he han eeing up he
ime o HR p ac i ione s, he in oduc ion o e-HRM simply led o an inc ease in IT ela ed suppo ac i i ies
ha eplaced adminis a i e ones, wi hou any imp o emen in HRM se ices. These indings sugges ha
HR p o essionals a e expec ed o spend mo e ime on a ious IT suppo ac i i ies, such as main aining
IT-based HR applica ions and dealing wi h gli ches in hese sys ems (Ga dne e al., 2003). Ano he s udy
ound ha he olume o calls o HR call cen e inc eased a e he in oduc ion o e-HRM, al hough his
was expec ed o d op as people became mo e amilia wi h he sys em.
Finally, e-HRM
ans o ma ional
aspec
aims o sus ain he alignmen o employee mindse s wi h he
o ganiza ion’s s a egy and o ans o m he HR depa men by imp o ing i s s a egic o ien a ion owa ds
HRM (Bissola & Impe a o i, 2013; Ruel e al., 2004). In his e-HRM li e a u e, he e m ‘making HR mo e
s a egic’ d aws on Ul ich’s ea ly model o SHRM which posi s ha he way o make HR mo e s a egic is
o he HR unc ion o change om being p ima ily adminis a i e o suppo ing o aligning wi h business
s a egy as a s a egic business pa ne (Ul ich, 1997). Imp o ing he s a egic o ien a ion o HRM is he
mos con o e sial goal o e-HRM which has a ac ed a lo o a en ion. This goal is expec ed o be ealized
as a esul o educing he ansac ional wo kload in HR depa men . Using echnology can imp o e
ansac ional ac i i ies and accomplish hem au oma ically and mo e e icien ly, in o de ha HR
p o essional ha e mo e ime o ocus on s a egic ac i i ies (Lepak & Snell, 1998; W igh & Dye , 2000).
T ans o ma ional ou comes we e explained as a esul o he inc eased a ailabili y o accu a e and
de ailed in o ma ion o o he addi ional ime a ailable o HR p ac i ione s. The esul s om Pa y's (2011)
la ge-scale su ey ac oss 12 coun ies showed ha e-HRM may help HR o inc ease i s alue by becoming
mo e s a egic. This sugges s ha o ganiza ions a e using e-HRM in o de o edeploy HR p ac i ione s
om ansac ional wo k o mo e s a egic and alue added ac i i ies (Pa y, 2011). A su ey in G eece o
Panayo opoulou
e al.
(2007) shows ha e-HRM acili a es he ans o ma ion o he HRM ole in o a mo e
s a egic one. Acco ding o HR expe s, he adop ion o e-HR p ac ices has a bene icial impac on s a egic
goals o he o ganiza ion such as company image, goal alignmen and cos educ ion (Panayo opoulou e
al., 2007). In ano he s udy o Pa y and Tyson (2011), ou o he case s udy o ganiza ions had aimed
o inc ease he s a egic o ien a ion o he HR unc ion, al hough hese o ganiza ions had no de ined his
16
as he execu ion o business s a egy. Much o he HR ac i i y is in suppo o co po a e s a egies, o
example by de eloping o ganiza ional capabili y, h ough be e esou cing and lea ning sys ems, helping
o cla i y s a egic choices h ough mo e accu a e da a on cos s and pe o mance, and by implemen ing
s a egy h ough e ec i e p ocesses and be e o ganiza ion. E-HRM has a pa o play in all o his, as
illus a ed in he case s udies desc ibed. Howe e , he ac ual impac o e-HRM was less clea , al hough
se en o ganiza ions desc ibed ou comes ha could be desc ibed as inc easing he s a egic o ien a ion
o he HR unc ion. "The in oduc ion o e-HRM alone is no su icien o an HR unc ion o become
‘s a egic’" (p.351). Simila ly, he indings om an explo a o y s udy on he s a egic alue o e-HRM in a
go e nmen al o ganiza ion in Belgium e eal ha e-HRM did no enable he HR p o essionals o become
mo e s a egic. This is in line wi h Ma le 's concep ual wo k (J. Ma le , 2009) in which she p oposed a
model o examine how e-HRM i s in o a s a egic HR amewo k. The esul shows ha " elying on e-HRM
alone o ealize his ans o ma ion may be mo e my h han eali y" (p.525). Some o he empi ical
indings show ha e-HRM is mos ly di ec ed a cos educ ions and e iciency inc eases in HR se ices,
a he han a imp o ing he s a egic o ien a ion o HRM (Ga dne e al., 2003; H. Ruël & Bonda ouk,
2014; H. J. M. Ruël e al., 2004; Ru a, 2005). The eby, imp o ing he s a egic o ien a ion can be
conside ed as an unin ended ou come o e-HRM’s in oduc ion.
Mo eo e , as IT has enabled people o communica e ac oss geog aphic bounda ies and sha e in o ma ion
which elimina ed ba ie s o ime and space, he eby i plays a c ucial ole in suppo ing i ual eam and
ne wo k o ganiza ion (Lepak & Snell, 1998). In o de ha spa ially sepa a ed ac o s can be ne wo ked
and communica e, e-HRM seems o be a means o s anda dize he HR sys em and o o e come hu dles
o di e en cul u es and languages. In an empi ical s udy in i e la ge companies on web-based HRM,
Ruel e al. (2004) sugges ed a ou h goal o e-HRM, namely o imp o e a company’s global o ien a ion
h ough s anda diza ion o HR policies and p ac ices. The esul shows ha ou o hem chose o
s anda dize and ha monize HR policies and p ac ices as a p econdi ion o becoming a global company
and o c ea e a sound basis o e-HRM. Ruel e al (2004) a gue ha he impo an e-HRM e ec seems
o be he s a egic in eg a ion o HRM wi h he ( e ised) company s a egy, s uc u e and cul u e. In all
cases e-HRM is mainly seen as an indispensable ins umen o help o ealize his in eg a ion by, on he
one hand, cen alizing and s anda dizing HR-policies and p ac ices, and on he o he hand, decen alizing
hei execu ion. Pa y and Tyson (2011) a gued ha he goal o “globaliza ion” can be called
“s anda diza ion” since he policies should be s anda dized ac oss uni s and depa men s o a company,
no necessa ily ac oss geog aphical bounda ies. Se en o ganiza ions ou o en (Pa y & Tyson, 2011)
sugges ed ha he use o a common sys em had led o mo e consis en HR p ocesses and allowed
23
le el o IT skills suppo ed e-HRM adop ion and use (Panayo opoulou e al., 2007). Simila ly, in a la ge-
scale su ey wi h a sample o 2,336 o ganiza ions in di e en sec o s ac oss Eu ope, S ohmeie and
Kabs (2009) assumed ha he sec o o an o ganiza ion may e eal an e ec on he adop ion o e-HRM
wi h an hypo hesis based on companies wi h mo e cle ical and s a iona y asks (e.g., in banking sec o
in con as wi h building cons uc ion) will mo e equen ly adop e-HRM. The esul only ound a pa ial
e idence which says he sec o ial di e ences in ask s uc u es signi ican ly u he o es ain e-HRM
adop ion. Howe e , as hey explained, he esea ch was gene ally conduc ed on he whole o ganiza ions
which may hide ‘segmen ed’ adop ion (e-HRM o only a ce ain segmen o employees). Then i equi es
mo e speci ic in es iga ions. O ganiza ional s uc u e is also conside ed as a decisi e ac o o e-HRM
adop ion. Tanya Bonda ouk, Schilling and Ruël (2016) highligh ed he ac ha he decision-making
p ocess in he b anches o mul ina ionals is s ongly in luenced by highe le el manage s om he
headqua e s, which does no allow o ull au onomy in his ega d (Tanya Bonda ouk, Schilling, & Ruël,
2016). In addi ion, applying e-HRM conce ns o managemen empowe men (Pa y & Tyson, 2011). Wi h
e-HRM, HR esponsibili ies such as ec ui men , aining o employee e alua ion, end o be decen alised,
placed in he hands o line manage s (Ruel e al., 2004). The o ganiza ional s uc u e wi h limi ed
au onomy will no enable managemen empowe men in his sense. Capabili ies and a ailable esou ces
a e also p esen ed as ele an in de e mining he e-HRM adop ion in which hey migh delay in
compu e izing pe sonnel depa men s due o budge limi a ion (Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2017). The low
adop ion o e-HRM is explained since IT adop ion is qui e expensi e in G eece (Panayo opoulou e al.,
2007) o as lack o inancial esou ce in Malaysia (C. Hooi, 2007). The esul s o a esea ch on he e-
HRM adop ion in eme ging coun ies shows ha he a ailabili y o esou ce appea ed o play a majo ole
in he decision making p ocess and u he e-HRM adop ion (Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2016)
People ac o s
include op managemen suppo , employee pe cep ion, employees’ IT skills and expe ise
(Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2017; Om an & Anan, 2018). In hei esea ch, Bounda ouk e al. obse ed ha
he mos impo an ac o s a ec ing adop ion, as well as consequences o e-HRM, eside in he ca ego y
‘people ac o s’. Al hough echnology and o ganiza ional ac o s we e necessa y p e equisi es, people
ac o s, and especially he employee pe cep ion wi hin ce ain o ganiza ional cul u es, we e ound o make
he di e ence. Top managemen suppo has been iden i ied as a key ac o in he adop ion and
implemen a ion o IT in many s udies. In he esea ch o e-HRM, (Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2016) ound
ha op managemen suppo had a g ea impac on e-HRM adop ion in eme ging economies. As
managemen makes s a egic decisions, app o e budge s, and make decisions abou company
ealignmen , op execu i es need o be con inced o an inno a ion’s bene i s in o de o ag ee o i s

24
adop ion. Since he adop ion o an inno a ion such as e-HRM equi es signi ican es uc u ing wi hin a
company, managemen ’s willingness o ini ia e es uc u ing has been shown o be c ucial (Tanya
Bonda ouk e al., 2016). In addi ion, a majo p oblem du ing implemen a ion is he esis ance o use s
o change and he con lic be ween HR depa men s and o he depa men s o e he implemen a ion and
main enance o he sys em. Hence, op managemen suppo is c ucial o o e come possible in e nal
esis ance and handle any con lic s ha may a ise (Teo e al., 2007). Managemen commi men was also
conside ed o be a key d i e o HRIS adop ion in he public sec o as i ep esen s a sou ce o suppo
and unding which a e bo h c i ical o adop ion and implemen a ion o i o ganiza ional equi emen s
(T oshani e al., 2011). A la ge su ey o companies loca ed in 32 di e en coun ies shows ha manage s
in ol ed in making s a egic decisions can de e mine he ex en o an o ganiza ion’s e-HRM capabili ies
(J. Ma le & Pa y, 2015). Employees’ pe cep ions, o en assessed as use echnology accep ance,
appea s and mindse o be a c i ical ac o o a success ul e-HRM adop ion (Tanya Bonda ouk e al.,
2017; Om an & Anan, 2018; Panos & Bellou, 2016; Ziebell e al., 2019). Oli as-Lujan, Rami ez, and
Zapa a-Can u (2007) in es iga ed employees’ di e en mindse s owa d e-HRM, inding ha employees
esis ed accep ing new sys ems i hey hough i would inc ease hei pe sonal wo kload a e adop ion
(Oli as-Luján, Rami ez, & Zapa a-Can u, 2007). Ruel (2004) posi ed ha e-HRM adop ion is no p ima ily
echnical, i is i s and o emos a change in he mindse s and beha iou s o HR pe sonnel, line
manage s, and employees. The e o e, employees and line manage s’ mindse s need o be changed: hey
ha e o ealize and accep he use ulness o web-based HR ools. I hey assume he e is no eal need o
using e-HRM ools, hey will no use hem (Ruel e al., 2004). Employees’ IT skill and expe ise is ano he
signi ican ac o in luencing he success o e-HRM sys em. Bonda ouk e al. (2016b) admi ed he
impo ance o knowledge and skills abou echnologies has posi i e In luence on i s adop ion. The
a ailabili y o echnical skills is shown o be a p e equisi e o he adop ion o e-HRM sel -se ices, as
skilled employees a e mo e likely o au onomously handle IT- ela ed asks based on hei p e ious
expe iences (Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2016). Indeed, IT skills and amilia iza ion wi h hem also acili a e
e-HRM adop ion. The e o e, IT aining and communica ion should emphasize he bene i s o employee
pa icipa ion and in ol emen in E-HR se ices. Human capabili y namely HR domain knowledge,
echnical IT skills and communica ion skills could be enhanced by aining (T oshani e al., 2011).
T aining bo h HR p o essionals and employees who use he sys em ypically plays a c ucial ole in
success ul e-HRM adop ion.
25
3. METHODOLOGY
In his chap e , he objec i es and me hodological op ions chosen o ca y ou his wo k a e p esen ed.
The choice o a me hodological esea ch is based on he assump ions unde lying he p oblem and aims
o achie e he s udy objec i es (Yin, 2018).
In o de o examine how e-HRM is applied in o ganiza ions and explo e he ou comes o e-HRM om he
o ganiza ion’s pe spec i e, a quali a i e case s udy me hodology is adop ed. Acco ding o C eswell
(2009), quali a i e esea ch is an app oach o explo ing and unde s anding he meaning indi iduals o
g oups asc ibe o a social o human p oblem. The p ocess o esea ch in ol es eme ging ques ions and
p ocedu es, da a ypically collec ed in he pa icipan ’s se ing, da a analysis induc i ely building om
pa icula s o gene al hemes, and he esea che making in e p e a ions o he meaning o he da a
(C eswell, 2009). Quali a i e case s udy is a esea ch me hodology ha helps in explo a ion o a
phenomenon wi hin some pa icula con ex h ough a ious da a sou ces, and i unde akes he
explo a ion h ough a ie y o lenses in o de o e eal mul iple ace s o he phenomenon (Bax e & Jack,
2010). Thus, he quali a i e case s udy is assumed o be app op ia e o his esea ch.
In case s udy esea ch, i e componen s o a esea ch design a e especially impo an : he esea ch
ques ion, i s p oposi ions, i s case(s), he logic linking he da a o he p oposi ions, and he c i e ia o
in e p e ing he indings. The h ee i s componen s lead o iden i ying he da a ha a e o be collec ed.
The las wo componen s lead in o an icipa ing he case s udy analysis, sugges ing wha is o be done
a e he da a ha e been collec ed, ha is, s udy’s speci ic echniques (Yin, 2018). These componen s
a e discussed below.
3.1 The esea ch ques ion
In spi e o he widesp ead use o e-HRM in o ganiza ions, he e has been a su p ising dea h o heo y
and esea ch on he opics (Dianna S one & Dulebohn, 2013). In pa icula , ew schola s ha e examined
empi ically he achie emen o he goals as an expec ed ou comes h ough he in oduc ion o e-HRM
(Pa y & Tyson, 2011). The e o e, his s udy aims o ill up his gap. The cen al esea ch ques ion is:
How do o ganiza ions apply e-HRM in he HR p ocesses and o wha ex en a e he ini ial goals o e-HRM
ealized as ou comes?
F om his basis, a numbe o sub-ques ions a e o med:
1. Wha a e he goals ha he company y o achie e when hey planned o apply e-HRM?
26
2. Which e-HRM unc ions a e used in he companies?
3. Which unc ions a e no co e ed by e-HRM and why?
4. Wha a e he ou comes o using e-HRM?
5. Which ac o s in luence he success o e-HRM?
3.2 Resea ch p oposi ions
Resea ch p oposi ions di ec a en ion o some hing ha should be examined wi hin he scope o s udy
(Yin, 2018). In he p e ious chap e , a e iew o he li e a u e based on scien i ic a icles and books in
he a ea o HRM as well as e-HRM was ca ied ou wi h he in en ion o gi ing a clea pic u e o e-HRM.
This is applied as esea ch p oposi ions o his s udy.
3.3 The case s udies
The hi d componen deals wi h iden i ying he cases. The cases should e lec he phenomenon ha is
o be s udied. Howe e , he dange wi h case s udy is he isola ion o he phenomenon om i s b oade
con ex . The e o e, i is impo an o be as explici as possible when de e mining he case (Ruel e al.,
2004).
Acco ding o Yin (2018), a mul iple case s udy enables he esea che o explo e di e ences wi hin and
be ween cases. The goal is o eplica e indings ac oss cases. Because compa isons will be d awn, i is
impe a i e ha he cases a e chosen ca e ully so ha he esea che can p edic simila esul s ac oss
cases, o p edic con as ing esul s based on a heo y (Yin, 2018). Fo his eason, a mul iple case s udy
esea ch is adop ed and conduc ed in h ee companies in Po ugal in o de o examine in e es ing cases.
Al hough i is no possible o be ep esen a i e and gene alizable o o he con ex s, i is expec ed o p o ide
a iew o he ele an issues.
O ganiza ions we e selec ed om a numbe o di e en con ex s in di e en indus y sec o s wi h a ious
s uc u es and cul u es. The o ganiza ions a e a di e en s ages in e-HRM implemen a ion wi h di e en
e-HRM sys ems and expe iences. The case s udies we e conduc ed be ween 2020 and 2021. These
o ganiza ions we e DST G oup, Cachapuz and a echnological company which p e e ed s aying
anonymous due o con iden iali y.
27
3.4 Case s udy echniques
In o de o examine he mul iple case s udy, a semi-s uc u ed in e iew was chosen in his s udy o collec
da a o i s lexibili y. In a semi-s uc u ed in e iew, he esea che has a lis o ques ion on speci ic opics
o be co e ed as an in e iew guide, and all he ques ions will be asked and a simila wo ding will be used
om in e iewee o in e iewee in o he o guide o in e iewees o ocus on he objec i es and he
esea ch ques ions. Ques ions may no ollow on exac ly in he way ou lined and u he ques ions may
a ise based on he esponse o in e iewees. The eby, he in e iewee has a g ea deal o eedom in how
o eply. Ano he eason o he choice o semi-s uc u ed in e iews bu uns uc u ed ones is ha wi h
he semi-s uc u ed ones wi h a ai ly clea ocus, a he han a e y gene al no ion o wan ing o do
esea ch on a opic in uns uc u ed ones, he mo e speci ic issues can be add essed (B yman & Bell,
2007). In his way, i allows he in e iewees o p o ide in o ma ion and pe sonal pe spec i es mo e
clea ly and speci ically.
Da a was ga he ed h ough semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h he HR Di ec o s, HR p o essionals, he line
manage s and employees, as app op ia e o he case. Fou in e iew p o ocols we e de eloped based
upon he e-HRM li e a u e o ake accoun o he di e en oles o in e iewees (see Appendix 1, 2, 3, 4).
Fo HR Di ec o s, he in e iew p o ocol con ained a se ies o ques ions abou he goals o e-HRM
applica ion, he ou comes ha he company achie ed h ough e-HRM implemen a ion and ac o s ha
in luence he success ul o e-HRM. Fo HR p o essionals, a numbe o ques ions abou he company and
HR s uc u e was asked. Fo line manage s and employees wi h no managemen oles, he in e iews
aimed o unde s and hei expe ience wi h e-HRM and he impac ha e-HRM has had on hem and on
hei pe cep ions o he HR unc ion. A o al numbe o in e iews was 11 (in Table 3)
Table 3: Numbe o in e iews
Company
Numbe o in e iews
Pa icipan s
DST G oup
4
HR Di ec o , HR o ice ,
Planning and Con olling
Mange , Business Analys
Cachapuz
4
HR Di ec o , HR o ice ,
Adminis a i e and Financial
Di ec o , Ma ke ing Execu i e
28
The echnological company
3
HR o ice , Di ec o – Co po a e
Business, Special P ojec
Manage
The s udy was dis u bed by he cu en con ex , ha is, he Co id19 pandemic. In e iews we e conduc ed
in wo ways. Some o hem we e held in pe son a he o ganiza ions. The o he s we e hold ia online
mee ings, such as Zoom o Google Team applica ion. In e iews we e no eco ded, due o conce ns
abou con iden iali y. De ailed no es we e aken du ing he in e iews and checked wi h he in e iewees
o accu acy.
The da a collec ed h ough he in e iews we e analysed using a ca ego iza ion p ocess and pa e n
ma ching echnique. Each case s udy is p esen ed in u n. Besides, he esponses o he ques ions in he
in e iews we e ca ego ized in line wi h he li e a u e e iew. F om his ca ego ized da a, he analysis
ollowed a c oss-case compa ison. Conclusions a e hen d awn ega ding he indi idual cases and ac oss
all h ee cases. This allowed me o iden i y he goals and ou comes eme ging om he cases s udies as
well as ac o s ha migh in luence he success o e-HRM implemen a ion.
The nex chap e will be ocused on he esul s o he da a collec ion om h ee companies: DST g oup,
Cachapuz, and an anonymous echnological company.

29
4. RESULTS
In his chap e , he esul s ob ained om he semi-s uc u ed in e iews a e p esen ed. The b ie
in oduc ion o each company is ga he ed om hei websi e. This chap e will highligh he undamen al
aspec s o he goals ha d i en o e-HRM adop ion and HRM unc ions in each company as well as he
ou comes o he e-HRM implemen a ion. Each company is p esen ed in u n.
Case desc ip ions
The o e iew o he companies is summa ised in he Table 4.
Table 4: Summa y o he companies
DST G oup
Cachapuz
Technological
company
Business sec o
Enginee ing and
Cons uc ion
Weighing equipmen
and solu ions.
IT solu ions
App oxima e numbe
o employees
2000
60
150
Numbe o HR o ice
14
3
1
Uni s o HR
Depa men
Rec ui ing, selec ion and
ecep ion; Admission and
con ac managemen ;
Assidui y; T aining
(p o essional
quali ica ion); In e na ional
managemen ; In e nships;
Wage p ocessing;
Balanced Sco eca d and
pe o mance e alua ion;
Bene i s, People and
Cul u e
1 uni deals all he
ma e s o HR
depa men
1 uni deals all he
ma e s o HR
depa men . HR
depa men plays a
global ole in HRM.
30
4.1. DST G oup
DST G oup
de elops i s main ac i i y in he cons uc ion and public wo ks indus y and is now a e e ence
amongs he na ional g oups. DST g oup expanded i s ac i i y o se e al new business a eas -
en i onmen , elecommunica ions, enewable ene gies and en u es, in which i in ends o ex end i s
na ional and in e na ional in es men s. DST g oup has p omo ed he expansion o i s in e na ional ac i i y
o an inc easingly wide ange o coun ies, bo h in he demanding A ican geog aphies and in he
de eloped and sophis ica ed Eu opean ma ke s, also ma king i s p esence in he Ame ican and Asian
con inen s. Wi h a ound 2000 employees and 60 en e p ises, DST g oup conside s Human Resou ce
Managemen is one o hei c ucial conce ns. The sha ing o alues wi h hei employees os e s he
alignmen owa ds he cons uc ion and main enance o a success ul company. The implemen ed human
esou ce managemen policy seeks o "in es in hei employees, ein o cing he sense ha he company
is pa o hei ca ee and li e p ojec , and hus ensu ing hei s abili y and he necessa y com o o ul il
he objec i es planned o he u u e". As a esul , hei employees a e becoming mo e quali ied and DST
g oup is also in a egula posi ion as one o he bes companies o wo k o in Po ugal acco ding o a
s udy p omo ed by Exame Magazine.
DST g oup has applied e-HRM o yea s o ca y ou HR ac i i ies including adminis a i e suppo ,
communica ion, e- ec ui men and e-selec ion and e- aining. The p ima y goal o he e-HRM adop ion is
o acili a e HR ac i i ies and s o age in o ma ion o planning and managemen in he u u e. By
in oducing e-HRM, DST g oup aimed o achie e HR e iciency and s a egic o ien a ion. DST g oup
in oduced e-HRM o educe he wo kload o HR depa men and make he HR asks mo e agile and ee
he employees o inno a i e and s a egic asks. The eby, he HR p o essionals would ha e mo e ime o
planning and s a egic ac i i ies. The s o age o in o ma ion would allow he company ha e adequa e da a
o make s a egic decisions. The HM Di ec o s a ed ha :
"We wan ed o ha e he s o age in o ma ion abou employees so ha we can plan and manage o u u e
ac ion. [Wi h e-HRM] i 's easy o manage and we y o concilia e e e y hing in he less pla o m possible.
Tha 's why we ha e e-HRM ha we can do many hings."
"Wi h e-HRM, we can spend mo e ime in planning han doing."
They conside ed he implemen o e-HRM as an in es men o e iciency gains. The e o e, hey did no
se a goal on e u n o he e-HRM in es men .
31
"[The implemen a ion o ] e-HRM is an in es men , no he cos , o educe he ime we spend doing hings
he e. I we spend less ime on daily asks, we will ha e mo e ime on ocus on planning, inno a ion and
o ind new solu ions o ou employees."
"We don' ha e a speci ic a ge o cos educ ion."
"I we ha e a suppo so wa e, asks become mo e agile which ends up eeing wo ke s o inno a i e
and s a egic asks."
Wi h he implemen o e-HRM, DST g oup aimed o p o ide a be e ool o line manage s and employees
in managemen and in daily wo k. The ollowing quo e illus a ed his:
"E-HRM is mo e dynamic. I helps manage s acili a e he managemen ac i i ies wi h employees."
The o he impo an goal when implemen ing e-HRM in DST g oup is s anda diza ion. As a la ge g oup
wi h a ound 2000 employees and 60 en e p ises, DST g oup needs clea and consis en p ocesses o
he whole company. The adop ion o e-HRM was d i en by he need o ha monise and s anda dise HR
policies and p ac ices as he HRM Di ec o emphasized:
"S anda disa ion allows us o say he same language o e e yone."
Gi en hese goals, DST g oup ca ied ou he implemen o E-HRM in hei company in adminis a i e
asks, ec ui men and aining.
In he adminis a i e a ea, SAP (Sys em Applica ion and P oduc s in Da a P ocessing) is implemen ed o
co e all ope a ional ac i i ies in he DST G oup. The HR o ice men ioned:
"We use SAP o all he managemen in DST G oup, om employee da abase, adminis a i e asks,
compensa ion, bene i s, 5S p ac ices, sha ing in o ma ion o employees o cau ion acciden s o
employees…" "I is e y use ul and help us o sa e ime in doing hese asks. We can ha e all he
in o ma ion in one place."
In DST G oup, SAP co e s he ollowing a eas: O ganiza ional Managemen (planning, managing
in o ma ion on depa men , acking o posi ions in all depa men o main ains jobs and ind acancies
i any); Pe sonnel adminis a ion ( eco ding employee da abase such as pe sonnel In o ma ion,
educa ion, amily, sala y, employee cos calcula o …); Time managemen (a endance check, ime
e alua ion, pe sonal wo k schedule, shi s, holidays, aca ions…); pay oll (p ocessing he paymen o he
wo k done by employees: wages, axes, social insu ance agencies, banks…). SAP p o ides access o
manage s and employees in some session, such as pe sonal in o ma ion and ime managemen . Fo
32
example, all he employees ha e access o he Time Ca e pla o m. The Time Ca e pla o m has been
used o ime managemen o some ime. I appea s e y use ul o manage employees in he cu en
con ex in which he DST G oup applies he new way o wo king - elewo king in u n. The employees use
he Time Ca e applica ion o check a endance and manage wo king ime a home. I p o ides a eco d
o manage s ha help hem moni o hei employees' wo k.
SAP's implemen a ion has b ough ou comes as in ended. DST G oup has essen ial employee da abase
o s a egic planning. They ha e used hem o u u e planning, aining and s a ing. The in o ma ion is
eadily a ailable o managemen . The HR Di ec o commen ed:
"
I 's e y use ul because we can concen a e much in o ma ion."
"We ha e many in o ma ion ha help us make s a egic decision o we can use i in aining employees
o ec ui ing. I also allows us make a sui able s a ing o p omo ion.
DTS G oup is a la ge company wi h abou 2000 employees, he e o e managemen ep esen s a huge
adminis a i e ask o HR depa men . The adop ion o SAP gi es HR he echnological solu ions ha
inc ease e iciency in i s p ocesses. I educes bu den o adminis a i e o HR depa men . The quali y
o HR wo k is imp o ed due o imp o ed wo k low. The accu acy o in o ma ion is imp o ed. The e a e
less e o s. The in o ma ion is e ie ed quickly when needed. I educes he esponse ime, he eby,
imp o e he deli e y o se ice. Besides, HR o ice s ha e mo e ime o added alue ac i i ies.
The HR
Di ec o said:
"
Wi h he so wa e, we spend less ime in ca ying ou he HR asks. We can o ganise be e in o ma ion
and manage people be e ."
As a esul , he HR depa men ope a es mo e e ec i ely, assigning less ime spen by people on non-
alue-added asks, which hey can spend ins ead on mo e inno a i e and s a egic asks. Howe e , he
company did no measu e hese bene i s.
Rega ding communica ion, he company use email, Skype, Mic oso Team and he in ane . The In ane
was designed o imp o e in e nal communica ion and sha ing o in o ma ion wi h employees. The eby,
imp o e HR se ice deli e y. I has he ollowing con en s: gene al in o ma ion abou he DST G oup
(e en s, news ela ed o new cus ome s/ wo ks; no i ica ions); messages om he DST G oup P esiden ;
Inno a ion opics; documen s (in e nal no ms, manuals, s anda ds, wo k ins uc ion, p ocedu es, e c…);
con ac s o he DST g oup s a ; bene i s in o ma ion (pha macies, heal h insu ance, gyms, e c…);
can een/ es au an menu o schedule he meals o he week. In addi ion, he e is a ema kable session
39
"
We almos duplica ed he numbe o aining ac ion and he numbe o pa icipa ions. We can discuss
abou ou own p oblems and ind ou solu ions. We s a ed use e- aining du ing he pandemic. We can
pa icipa e wi hou ba ie o ime and dis ance du ing he pandemic, wi hou physical ouch and
disloca ion. This is he bes way o con inue aining ou employees in he cu en con ex .
"
In addi ion, e- aining shows i s lexibili y when he pa icipan s can choose he ime and place o lea n.
The HR o ice assumed:
"We can do he aining when i ´s mo e con enien in e ms o da e and hou , and econcile wi h
wo kload."
In spi e o hose ou comes, he e a e disad an ages as well. Tha is, he lack o in e ac ion in aining as
he HR o ice commen ed:
"The main disad an age is lack o In e ac ion. People ha e less pa icipa ion in he aining. Some o hem
ge shye and a he passi e in aining."
Conce ning pe o mance app aisal, Cachapuz has no applied e--HRM ye . The company ca ies ou he
employee e alua ion once pe yea . The CEO is esponsible o he employee e alua ion in pe son based
on he cha ac e is ics o each posi ion in consul a ion wi h he Di ec o s o each depa men . This is he
main eason ha e-HRM has no been in oduced in pe o mance app aisal.
4.3 Anonymous Technology Company
The anonymous echnology company is one o he bigges Po uguese companies specialized in
In o ma ion, Technology and Communica ion p oduc s and se ices, wi h b anches in Lisbon and o eign
ma ke s. I s ands ou in he ma ke o he design, p oduc ion and implemen a ion o so wa e o e ical
ma ke s. I ac s as a solu ion’s in eg a o and a global p o ide o IT solu ions, such as echnological
in as uc u es, elecommunica ions, managemen so wa e (ERP), ce i ied aining, and consul ing
se ices. Wi h a his o y o o e 30 yea s, he company has always based i s Human Resou ce
Managemen policy on a genuine conce n on i s employees. Wi h a eam consis ing o abou 150
employees, he company conside s people managemen is one o he mos p essing and di e en ia ing
issues in o ganiza ion. They a e commi ed o de eloping ac ions and measu es ha imp o e mo i a ion,
pe sonal and p o essional de elopmen and well-being o employees. Since 2011, he company has been
included in he anking o he 100 bes companies o wo k o in Po ugal. Al hough he echnology
company is a p o ide o IT solu ion in managemen , hey do no apply e-HRM in all HR unc ions. They

40
implemen e-HRM in adminis a i e suppo and communica ion. One o he easons is ha in he
echnological company, HR Depa men plays a global ole in human esou ce managemen . I means
ha HR Depa men wo ks wi h Di ec o s and Manage s o each depa men in all p ocesses ela ing o
pe sonnel managemen . Di ec o s o manage s a e mainly esponsible o managing employees in
ec ui men and selec ion, app o e aining need o employees, pe o mance app aisal and
compensa ion. Fo example, The HR depa men de ines he p ocesses on pe o mance app aisal and
he Di ec o s make he employee e alua ion ins ead o HR depa men .
In adminis a i e suppo , he company uses WinGRH so wa e which is one o he p oduc s de eloped
by he company. WinGRH is used o eco ding employee's da a, p ocessing pay oll and o he s essen ial
HR asks. The goal is o acili a e HR asks and enable he HR depa men o wo k mo e e icien ly by
elimina ing pape wo k, and sa ing ime in p ocessing and c ea ing an essen ial HR da abase. The use o
he so wa e esul s as planned. The HR o ice s a ed:
"Ou wo k is smoo he , p ocessing ime educes. We ha e an essen ial da abase o decision making. We
can sa e ime in o de o ocus on suppo ing Di ec o s and Manage s."
In he subjec o in e nal communica ion, he company uses Mic oso ou look, Team Mic oso , CRM -
Cus ome Rela ion Managemen . The goal is aim o acili a e communica ion, and suppo daily wo k.
These p og ams a e ins alled in employees' mobile de ices which enable he communica ion in ime.
Mic oso ou look is he main channel o communica e in he company. I is conside ed he bes way as
mos employees wo k ou side, o example: Sales and Se ices Depa men s. CRM is a pla o m o
suppo all employees and manage s in daily wo k. Employees can make a suppo eques on he
pla o m, o example: ese ing mee ing ooms o ehicles. I has all in o ma ion abou cus ome s and
po en ial cus ome s, in o ma ion abou employees (e.g., hei schedule, day-o , wo king hou s, cus ome
mee ing agenda, and hei using esou ce: ooms, ehicles...). I is a ool o Di ec o s o manage and
e alua e employees. Di ec o s can check hei employees’ daily wo k. The esul is ha he in e nal
communica ion is ge ing as e , and he daily wo k is smoo he . I also allows Di ec o s and Manage s o
suppo and manage hei employees e icien ly. The ollowing quo es o he line manage s illus a es
hese:
"
I 's help ul. I allows me o communica e wi h di e en chains and acqui e in o ma ion."
I see ad an ages in he use o E-HRM ools ha allow o sys ema ize in o ma ion, o ganize p ocesses and
collec in o ma ion and indica o s o u u e decisions, enable as e decision making."
41
"In ane communica ion makes he communica ion p ocess as e , as he e is no need o wai o he
a ailabili y o bo h pa ies o mee o all asks, eeing he ace- o- ace momen s o he mos impo an
asks ha need his in e ac ion
."
Howe e , he e-communica ion causes an unin ended consequence. Tha is, he quan i y o in o ma ion
is o e whelming. This may ha m employees' wo k-li e balance, as he ollowing quo e by he line manage
s a ed:
"
Maybe some imes he e's a lo o inpu and in o ma ion. I doesn' allow you o be mo e p oduc i e. I is
no easy o disconnec which can cause o e whelming. People ha e o be connec ed all he ime. I is
di icul o sepa a e li e and wo k
."
In ec ui men , he company mainly hi es online ec ui men websi es. They ad e ise acancies and
ecei e CV h ough email. The selec ion is decided by he boa d adminis a i e wi h he consul ancy o
Di ec o s o Manage s.
In aining and de elopmen , he company o e s bo h online and o line aining. In he beginning o each
yea , he HR Depa men collec s he aining needs and wo ks wi h Di ec o s and Manage s o discuss
he aining plan. Then, he aining plan is app o ed by he Boa d o Adminis a ion. The company holds
he cou ses, mos ly o line cou ses, du ing he yea . The e is a lea ning pla o m which is he esponsibili y
o he De elopmen Di ec o ins ead o he HR Depa men . Howe e , his is a new pla o m which s ill
has limi ed use. The manage commen ed:
"The leaning pla o m is somewha limi ed o he de elopmen depa men and, un il now, I ha e no had
many expe iences in his ype o aining. Mos o he aining has been in pe son."
Rela ing o pe o mance app aisal, he company has no used e-HRM. Di ec o s o Manage s e alua e
hei employees pe mon h and pe yea . Each mon h, hey choose he bes pe son o a ewa d. A he
end o he yea , Di ec o s o Manage s e alua e employees based on some c i e ia which a e di e en
om depa men s.
42
Table 5: E-HRM in he companies
HR Func ions
DST G oup
Cachapuz
The echnological company
Adminis a i e
suppo
- SAP is used o o ganiza ional
managemen , pe sonnel adminis a ion,
ime managemen and pay oll.
- Allow Manage s and employees o access
Time Managemen session o eco d
absen , check a endance and manage
wo king ime.
P ima e a So wa e is used o
o ganiza ion managemen , pe sonnel
da abase, p ocessing pay oll.
WinGRH So wa e is used o
pe sonnel da abase, p ocessing
pay oll.
Communica ion
In ane , email, Mic oso Team a e used
o in e nal communica ion and in o ma ion
sha ing
Sha epoin , email, Mic oso Team a e
used o in e nal communica ion.
Mic oso ou look, Team Mic oso ,
CRM - Cus ome Rela ion
Managemen a e used o in e nal
communica ion in which email is
conside ed main channel.
Rec ui men and
selec ion
- E- ec ui men and e-selec ion a e applied
by using company’s websi e, social media.
- Use a pla o m o ecei ing CVs and
sc eening candida es.
- Use mainly Kelly Se ice o s a ing.
- Besides, use company’s websi e and
social media o ad e ise he acancies
- Ad e ise acancies in ec ui ing
company websi e, pos acancies in
he company’s websi e and social
media.
43
and ecei e CVs h ough email and a
selec ion is done manually.
- Recei e CV h ough e-mail and he
selec ion is done manually.
T aining and
de elopmen
- E-lea ning is used o employee
de elopmen and manage employee's
aining.
- All he cou se a e online
- All he employees ha e access o e-
lea ning pla o m
- C ea ed Cachapuz Academy o
employee de elopmen and sha ing he
echnology and he Cachapuz know-
how o ex e nal s akeholde s such as
clien s o pa ne s
- Hold bo h online and o line
cou ses.
- New E-lea ning pla o m wi h limi ed
use;
- De elopmen Di ec o is esponsible
o he pla o m, ins ead o HR
depa men .
Pe o mance
App aisal
- No apply e-HRM in pe o mance
app aisal.
- Di ec o s o Manage s a e esponsible o
employee e alua ion.
- No apply e-HRM in pe o mance
app aisal.
- CEO is esponsible o he employee
e alua ion.
- No apply e-HRM in pe o mance
app aisal.
- Di ec o s o Manage s a e
esponsible o employee e alua ion.
44
5. DISCUSSION
The esul s show ha ope a ional e-HRM (Lepak and Snell, 1998; Ruël, Bonda ouk and Looise, 2004) is
applied in all h ee companies wi h he implemen a ion o e-HRM in adminis a i e a ea. Di e en
companies make use o di e en endo s o he so wa e wi h a ying in ensi y o use (Table 5). DST
g oup uses SAP o o ganiza ional managemen , pe sonnel adminis a ion, ime managemen and pay oll.
In addi ion, SAP gi es access o Manage s and employees o eco d absences, check a endance and
manage wo king ime in Time Managemen session. Cachapuz uses P ima e a so wa e o o ganiza ion
managemen , pe sonnel da abase, p ocessing pay oll. The echnological company uses WINGRH
so wa e o pe sonnel da abase and p ocessing pay oll. The a ying in ensi y o use can esul om he
size o company. DST G oup is a la ge company wi h a ound 2000 employees. The high in ensi y o SAP
use allows hem o simpli y a huge amoun o adminis a i e asks o HR depa men . Cachapuz and he
echnological company, wi h ewe employees (a ound 60 and 150 espec i ely), only adop e-HRM in
some co e adminis a i e asks such as pay oll p ocessing and pe sonnel da abase.
Rega ding e-HRM goals, and in line wi h p e ious esea ch (Pa y and Tyson, 2011), cos educ ion and
e iciency gains a e he mos common goals when planning o in oduce e-HRM in adminis a i e a ea,
men ioned by all h ee companies. All h ee companies ha e ealised his goal as an in ended ou come.
In DST G oup, he adop ion o SAP esul s in e iciency gains h ough sa ing ime in p ocessing, educing
he bu den o adminis a i e wo k, imp o ing wo k low, minimizing e o s and imp o ing he accu acy o
da a en y. In Cachapuz, he use o P ima e a so wa e s eamlines he HR p ocesses and educes cos s
h ough elimina ing e o s, p oducing eliable in o ma ion, signi ican ly educing ime on p ocessing
wages and bene i s and imp o ing he o e all speed o p ocesses. In he echnological company, he use
o WinGRH so wa e acili a es HR asks and helps he HR depa men wo k mo e e icien ly by educing
pape wo k, sa ing p ocessing ime and c ea ing an essen ial HR da abase. Howe e , cos educ ions was
no measu ed in he companies. The e was no a speci ic a ge o he cos educ ion, in line wi h o he
s udies (Pa y, 2011; Ruel e al., 2004).
Conce ning ela ional e-HRM, he common use o e-HRM is epo ed in in e nal communica ion wi h
email, Mic oso Team, in ane o in e nal pla o m. The communica ion and in o ma ion sha ing channel
appea s simila in he companies wi h he same goal, ha is, be e collabo a ion wi h o he depa men s,
communica ion imp o emen be ween manage s and employees and mo e e icien in sha ing
in o ma ion wi h employees, he eby, imp o e HR se ice deli e y and acili a e he managemen o
manage s (T. Bonda ouk & Ruël, 2013; Panayo opoulou e al., 2007; Pa y & Tyson, 2011; Ruel e al.,
2004). The goal is achie ed as in ended in all companies. Howe e , bo h in DST G oup and Cachapuz,

45
he ou come has a ce ain limi a ion in he p oduc ion depa men because o he lack o pe sonal
compu e s. The communica ion wi h o he depa men s and he sha ing o in o ma ion a e he
esponsibili y o he Di ec o . The a ailabili y o pe sonal compu e is an impo an equisi e o he
success o e-HRM men ioned by Ruël, Bonda ouk and Looise (2004).
In ec ui men , Cachapuz and he echnological company use mainly ou side se ices o ec ui men
alongside wi h pos ing acancies on company's websi e and social media wi h he goal o ad e ising he
open posi ions. DST G oup makes use o e-HRM mo e in ensi ely han he o he s because o hei huge
demand on ec ui men . The goal is o imp o e e iciency o HR depa men and HR se ice (Pa y &
Tyson, 2011; Ruel e al., 2004). The use o e-HRM has impac on ec ui men . DST G oup has a la ge
pool o po en ial candida es h ough using he company's o icial websi e and all he social media ools
including Facebook, Ins ag am, Linkedin, and online ec ui men websi es. By using he ec ui men and
selec ion pla o m, hese p ocesses a e as e , sa is ying he s a ing needs. I sa es ime o bo h HR
ec ui e s and manage s conside ably. HR se ice is imp o ed hanks o he abili y o sa is ying he s a ing
demand o o he depa men s wi h quali ied employees imely. The adop ion o e-HRM in ec ui men has
an unin ended ou come, ha is, company image enhancemen . This inding coincides wi h o he s udies
(Panayo opoulou e al., 2007; Pa y & Tyson, 2011) and he s udy conduc ed by T. Bonda oul and Ruel
(2013) showing he esul s o using e-HRM in con ibu ing o he image o he HR depa men . Some
sho comings emain as well. E- ec ui men ha dly mee s he demand o execu i e ec ui ing such as
senio manage s, di ec o s, chie execu i e o ice s, o speci ic posi ions which equi e speci ic
compe ency. Po en ial candida es o hese posi ions usually come om IEFP (Ins i ui o do Emp ego e
Fo mação P o issional - a go e nmen al ins i u ion). The use o excel and ou look o a lo o manual wo k
is ano he sho coming ha HR depa men y o ix in he nea u u e.
In aining, e-HRM is used o employee de elopmen in he h ee companies wi h di e en le el o use.
The goal aims o imp o e HR se ice by p o iding cus ome -o ien ed se ice and cos sa ings (Lepak &
Snell, 1998; Pa y & Tyson, 2011; Ruel e al., 2004). In he echnological company, he e-lea ning
pla o m has limi ed use since he (IT) De elopmen Di ec o is esponsible o he pla o m, ins ead o
he HR depa men . Mos o he aining cou ses a e conduc ed in pe son. In Cachapuz, Cachapuz
Academy was launched o employee de elopmen and echnology sha ing o Cachapuz know-how o
ex e nal s akeholde s such as clien s o pa ne s. The Cachapuz Academy has ini ially esul ed as
in ended. I has become a channel o employees o gain new skills, adop new me hodologies and sha e
expe iences. HR se ice is imp o ed by c ea ing a lexible and low-cos solu ion o employee
de elopmen . Howe e , he lack o in e ac ion in aining is a disad an age o e-lea ning in Cachapuz. In
46
he case o DST G oup, e-HRM is used wi h high in ensi y in employee de elopmen due o he
conside able need o aining o a la ge numbe o employees. DST G oup makes use o e-lea ning, wi h
he goals o employee de elopmen , HR se ice imp o emen and e iciency gains. These goals a e
ealized as planned. The HR depa men ope a es mo e e icien ly as e- aining acili a es aining
managemen and educes aining cos s. E-lea ning o e s a lexible and use ul channel o inc easing
employee’s compe ency, especially in he cu en con ex .
T ans o ma ional e-HRM consis s o ac i i ies ha aim o ans o m he HR depa men by imp o ing i s
s a egic o ien a ion owa d HRM (Bissola & Impe a o i, 2013). This appea s in DST G oup h ough
o ganiza ional change p ocesses, ha is, s anda diza ion (Be be e al., 2018; Obeida , 2016; Pa y &
Tyson, 2011; Ruel e al., 2004). In adop ing e-HRM, he company aimed o maximize he s a egic
capabili ies o he HR unc ion h ough s anda dized and ha monized HR policies and p ac ices ac oss
he company. The HR p ocesses become mo e consis en and consensual, allowing he company o use
he "same language" ac oss he company wi h a ound 2000 employees and 60 en e p ises.
S anda diza ion has enabled he company o communica e and be ne wo ked which elimina e
misunde s anding and inconsis ence. The e is no e idence ound in he case o Cachapuz and he
echnological company.
Ano he goal men ioned in he implemen a ion o e-HRM is s a egic o ien a ion (Lepak and Snell, 1998;
Ruël, Bonda ouk and Looise, 2004, Pa y and Tyson, 2011, Bonda ouk and Ruël, 2013), appea ing in
DST G oup and Cachapuz. This goal is achie ed in bo h companies. In Cachapuz, he sys ema ic
employee da abase se e s in he s a egic decision-making p ocess o op managemen h ough he
analysis o his in o ma ion. In DST G oup, he use o SAP ees up ime o HR o ice s in o de o ocus
on added alue asks such as planning HR, inno a ion o employee de elopmen . The essen ial employee
da abase is used o s a egic decision making such as u u e HR planning, aining, s a ing and alloca ion
HR. In addi ion, wi h he sel -se ice unc ionali y in Time Managemen session, manage s a e empowe ed
o manage hei employees ega ding managemen o employee wo king ime. I is e y use ul o
elewo king in he cu en con ex . Howe e , consis en wi h o he schola s (T. Bonda ouk & Ruël, 2013;
J. Ma le , 2009; Pa y & Tyson, 2011), e-HRM alone is no su icien o make he HRM depa men
become mo e s a egic. Fo example, in o de o use a ailable employee da a o s a egic decision
making p ocesses, i equi es many condi ions. One o hem is he capabili y o HR s a o analyze and
in e p e i p ope ly. In addi ion, in he case o Cachapuz and DST G oup, HRM depa men al eady plays
a s a egic ole, aligning business s a egy and goals wi h HRM goals and ac ing as a consul an o op
manage s. E-HRM appea s as a mean o suppo he HRM depa men in hei s a egic ole. In his
47
sense, wi h e-HRM, he HR unc ion modi ied i s daily ope a ions in o de e o, no simply sol ing ou ine
adminis a i e asks, bu o suppo o ganiza ional s a egies, such as de eloping human capi al and
employee compe ence o achie e o ganiza ional goals, HR policies design, de eloping HR p ac ices o
be e o ganiza ion, helping in s a egic decision-making p ocess h ough accu a e da a on expenses and
employee pe o mance. The HR unc ion becomes mo e lexible and HR s a is p oac i e in o de o adap
HR unc ion quickly o mee o ganiza ional equi emen s and o e hei consul ancy and solu ions o op
manage s.
Th ough examining he e-HRM in he companies, ac o s ha in luence he success ul e-HRM adop ion
a e e ealed. In ou case s udies, he size o he o ganiza ion eme ges as one o he c ucial ac o s o
he using e-HRM which is consis en wi h o he esea ches (Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2017; Ma ins &
Oli ei a, 2012; S ohmeie & Kabs , 2009; Teo e al., 2007; T oshani e al., 2011). DST G oup is a la ge
company. They exploi ed e-HRM wi h a highe in ensi y o use, compa ing o Cachapuz and he
echnological company. I is in e es ing ha in his s udy, he business sec o s o he o ganiza ions do no
in luence he decision o in oduce e-HRM. This is no in line wi h o he esea ches (Tanya Bonda ouk e
al., 2017; Panayo opoulou e al., 2007; S ohmeie & Kabs , 2009). In he case o he DST G oup, hey
a e enginee ing and cons uc ion company bu he in ensi y o e-HRM use is highe han in he
echnological company which is a endo o IT solu ions in managemen .
The mos signi ican in luence ac o s a e ha op managemen suppo and he o ganiza ional s uc u e.
In he case o he echnological company, he main eason o no applying e-HRM mo e is ha he HRM
depa men plays a global ole in human esou ce managemen and does no ha e ull au onomy in e ms
o HRM. As he HR o ice commen ed:
"Ou managemen is oo dependen o he Boa d o adminis a ion. The depa men s and a eas do no
ha e au onomy in e ms o Human Resou ces managemen ."
In DST G oup and Cachapuz, he HR depa men s ha e comple e suppo om op manage s. The e-
HRM adop ion decisions a e made by op managemen . Th ough he e-HRM implemen a ion, hey ocus
on i o imely gi e he adjus men and suppo . In his ega d, communica ion appea s a suppo i e ac o
o he success o e-HRM implemen a ion a e he decision o implemen he p og am had been made.
This is in line wi h o he s udies (Tanya Bonda ouk e al., 2016; Ru a, 2005). In he case o Cachapuz,
his s udy is conduc ed be o e and a e he Cachapuz Academy implemen a ion. I obse ed ha in o de
o ge success, he company de ised a communica ion campaign ac oss he company. Be o e and a e
i s implemen a ion, Cachapuz consul ed he con ibu ions o Di ec o s and heads o a ea abou wha hey
expec ed om an academy and, a e ha , es uc u ed i sel o he c ea ion o he Cachapuz Academy.
48
Thei communica ion campaign also in ol ed all employees and clien s h ough hei websi e, email,
con e ences and social media such as Facebook, Ins ag am in o de o p omo e he Cachapuz Academy
and in luence employees' pe cep ion and hei usage beha io .
Ano he in luen ial ac o o he success o e-HRM sys em is employee pe cep ions (Tanya Bonda ouk e
al., 2017; Panos & Bellou, 2016; Ruel e al., 2004; Ziebell e al., 2019), con i med by he HR Di ec o o
DST G oup and Cachapuz. The employees in he companies pe cei e he use ulness and necessi y o e-
HRM and commi on using i in hei daily wo k. In addi ion, hey a e ained ully when using he
applica ion. This acili a es he e-HRM use. The HR Di ec o o Cachapuz said:
"People in ol ed mus i s be able o see he added alue o using e-HRM. Thus, a e e e yone can
unde s and he bene i s ha e-HRM b ings, hey will use i ."
I is ue ha e-HRM b ings he bene i s o HR depa men o ope a e mo e e icien ly and e ec i ely
which may esul in educed headcoun and equi e mo e quali ied employees o mas e he sys em. The
ea ha he sys em will subs i u e o a pe son o he employees migh be eplaced by o he s mo e
quali ied is e y eal. The e o e, manage s and employees need o be open-minded o le e age he chance
in using e-HRM o hei pe sonal de elopmen as he HR Di ec o o DST G oup commen ed.
"Manage s and he employees ha e an open-mind o inno a ion doing hings. They ha e o look a i as
an oppo uni y, no a h ead, because i [e-HRM] makes hei wo k easie o do. They ha e o be open-
minded."
E-HRM is shown ha i b ings many bene i s o o ganiza ions. All he pa icipan companies ecommend
using e-HRM in o ganiza ions. Howe e , he ole o he HRM depa men is also con i med. E-HRM should
be conside ed as a means o acili a e he HR unc ion, no o subs i u e he in e pe sonal ela ion wi h
employees.
“Al hough E-HRM is impo an bu HRM means “pe son”. So i s ill needs o communica e “in pe son”
o unde s and employees and ollow hei expec a ion o suppo hem bo h in wo k and pe sonal li e in
o de ha hey can de elop wi h he o ganiza ion.”
- The HR Di ec o o Cachapuz ga e he iew.
“E-HRM is a suppo . I can acili a e bu canno subs i u e he human.”
- The HR Di ec o o DST G oup
emphasized.
55
APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW SCRIPT RELATING E-HRM FUNCTIONS TO THE HR
OFFICERS
In e iew ques ions o he con en o e-HRM unc ions
Main ques ion: Which e-HRM unc ions a e used in he company?
Which unc ions a e no co e ed by e-HRM? Why?
Adminis a i e asks
1/ Do you use any so wa e o deal wi h adminis a i e asks, e.g., eco ding employee da abase,
pay oll…? Which a eas a e applied?
2/ Wha a e he goals and ou comes o he using?
E- ec ui men :
1/ Wha a e he easons o using e- ec ui men ?
2/ How do you use E- ec ui men ? Can you desc ibe he p ocess in de ail, please?
3/ E- ec ui men is applied o which posi ion?
4/ Who use he e- ec ui men ?
5/ Do you ind e- ec ui men use ul? In wha way?
6/ A e he e ad an age/ disad an age o e- ec ui men ? Can you name i ?
7/ Wha a e he bene i s when using e- ec ui men ?
E-selec ion:
1/ Wha a e he easons o using e-selec ion?
2/ How do you use E-selec ion? Can you desc ibe he p ocess in de ail, please?
3/ E- Selec ion is applied o which posi ion?
4/ Who use he e-selec ion?
5/ Do you ind e-selec ion use ul? In wha way?
6/ A e he e ad an age/ disad an age o e-selec ion? Can you name i ?
7/ Wha a e he bene i s when using e-selec ion?
E- aining:

56
1/ Wha a e he easons o using e- aining?
2/ How do you use E- aining? Can you desc ibe he p ocess in de ail, please?
3/ E- aining is applied o which a ea?
4/ Who use he e- aining?
5/ Do you ind e- aining use ul? In wha way?
6/ A e he e ad an age/ disad an age o e- aining? Can you name i ?
7/ Wha a e he bene i s when using e- aining?
E-pe o mance managemen
1/ Wha a e he easons o using e- pe o mance?
2/ How do you use E-pe o mance? Can you desc ibe he p ocess in de ail, please?
3/ E-pe o mance is applied o which a ea?
4/ Who use he e- pe o mance?
5/ Do you ind e- pe o mance use ul? In wha way?
6/ A e he e ad an age/ disad an age o e- pe o mance? Can you name i ?
7/ Wha a e he bene i s when using e-pe o mance?
57
APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW SCRIPT RELATING GOALS, OUTCOMES OF E-HRM
USE AND INFLUENCE FACTORS TO THE HR DIRECTOR
Goals and ou comes o using E-HRM
Main ques ion:
1/ Wha a e he goals ha he company y o achie e when planned o apply e-HRM?
2/ Wha a e he ou comes o using e-HRM based on he goals? A e he e any in ended ou comes a e no
achie ed? A e he e any unin ended ou comes a e expe ienced?
3/ Does he company in end o apply E-HRM a ce ain unc ion ha has no applied ye in he nea u u e?
Why?
4/ Will you ecommend E-HRM o o he o ganiza ions? Why?
De ails
Imp o ing he s a egic o ien a ion o HRM
1/Was he adop ion o e-HRM d i en by he need o HR p o essionals spending mo e ime on HR planning
ac i i ies and s a egic planning? In wha way?
2/Whe he HR p o essionals ha e a ailable employee’s da a o make s a egic decisions?
Cos Reduc ion/ E iciency gain
1/Was he cos educ ion a goal? Why?
2/ Which unc ions (HR p ac ices) we e a ge o cos educ ion?
3/Wha we e he a ge s o he educ ion o HR ansac ion cos s and how is i measu ed?
4/We e p oduc i i y imp o emen s o HR p o essionals an e-HRM goal? Why?
Clien se ice imp o emen / Facili a ing managemen and employees
1/Was p o iding use ul HR ac i i ies, o line manage s and employees, h ough web-based-channels an
e-HRM goal?
2/ Was he e an e-HRM goal o imp o e se ice o line manage s and employees by p o iding se ices
h ough web-based channels?
S anda diza ion
58
1/Was he adop ion o e-HRM echnology d i en by he need o s anda dise HR p ocesses ac oss HR
unc ions? In wha way?
III/ E-HRM ac o in luence
1. In you opinion, which a e he ac o s ha con ibu e o he success o e-HRM?
O ganiza ional ac o s
1/ Wha is he o ganiza ion size?
2/ How do he op managemen suppo o he implemen a ion o e-HRM?
3/ Do employees and line manage s commi on e-HRM?
4/ How do hey eac o i s use?
Technological ac o s
1/ Does he IT applica ion i on he o ganiza ion?
2/ Is he IT applica ion iendly and easy o use?
3/ Is he IT applica ion con ibu ing o he quali y o HR ac i i ies?
Fa o es humanos – People ac o s
1/ A e he use s ained? How? Fo how long?
2/ Do hey hink ha i will help he o ganiza ion? In wha way?
3/ Do hey look a i as an impo an ool o imp o e hemsel es p o essionally and o achie e mo e in
he u u e?
59
APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW SCRIPT TO LINE MANAGER
Ques ions o line manage o ge mo e unde s anding o hei expe ience on using e-HRM
1/ Wha kind o HR ac i i ies a e pe o med by you? How?
2/ Wha do you hink o he in ol emen o line manage s in human esou ce managemen ?
3/ Do you see any ad an ages/disad an ages abou he in ol emen o line manage s in HR asks? In
wha way?
4/ Do you see E-HRM use ul o you wo k and o he company? In wha way?
5/ Do you see any ad an age/ disad an age abou using E-HRM
6/ Do you ha e any di icul ies on using E-HRM? Why? A e you aining be o e using i ? How?
7/ A e he e changes in he in e ac ion be ween you, he HR depa men and you employees when using
in ane in communica ion? In wha way?
8/ Wha do you expec when using he e-HRM?
60
APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW SCRIPT TO EMPLOYEE
Ques ions o employees o ge mo e unde s anding o hei expe ience on using e-HRM
1/Wha kind o E-HRM ac i i ies a e you using? How?
2/ Do you see E-HRM use ul o you wo k and o he company? In wha way?
3/ Do you see any ad an age/ disad an age abou using E-HRM?
4/ Do you ha e any di icul ies on using E-HRM? Why? A e you aining be o e using i ? How?
5/ A e he e changes in he in e ac ion be ween you, he HR depa men and he manage when using
in ane in communica ion? In wha way?
6/Wha do you expec when using he e-HRM?