Organizational Culture: Effect on information systems adaptation

Abstract

This report is a study of how the organizational culture of the University of Nairobi could have affected full adaption of the Human Resource Management Information System. This was done by examining the organizational culture perceptions of both the human resource managers and the system developers. An introduction and background information of the University was undertaken with a brief description of the human resource management process. This led to identification of the problem and a detailed literature review on opinions of other researchers on the extent to which culture may have contributed to poor adaptation of systems. The availability of information systems’ implementation frameworks, and specifically the competing values framework and the dialectical hermeneutics was also reviewed. Data was collected from two users of the system, the human resource managers and the developers using semi-structured questionnaires. The findings were well documented and presented in the form of tables, charts and bar graphs. The results were that there was a contradiction between the human resource managers and the system developers in the belief of the importance of involving users in the system analysis and developing and also in questioning them on their values and methods of working. Although both believed that systems are developed in order to improve and enhance processes, the method and mode of analysis and development was viewed differently. Two frameworks for implementation of information systems were researched on and discussed comparatively, competing values framework and dialectical hermeneutics. Their application methods and usefulness in organizational cultures were also discussed. The discussion of the findings tried to show how the disparity of the views about values and methods actually affected adaptation of the human resource management information system and the frustration of management in trying to understand the failure of the system. A comparison of the two frameworks and extent to which they have integrated an organizational culture in the system development life cycle was also done. This led to a conclusion that the human resource management information system could have been adapted well if the users’ values and methods of working were ingrained in the system. The recommendation therefore was use of dialectical hermeneutics in implementation of University’s information systems since its application involves interaction between users and developers during the system development life cycle.