Which Comes First e-HRM or SHRM?
Janet H. Marler
1
and Emma Parry
2
1
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
2
Cranfield School of Management
Abstract. There has been some discussion in the literature of the relationship
between e-HRM and strategic HRM. One body of literature argued that the use
of e-HRM leads to a more strategic role for the HR function by freeing time and
providing accurate information for HR practitioners [1,2]. An alternative
argument is that e-HRM is the result of a strategic HR orientation in that it is
one means by which SHR can be practiced [3,4]. This study disentangled these
two arguments by using data from a large international HR survey. The results
showed that e-HRM does not appear to be the linking mechanism that results in
companies with HR strategies becoming more involved in setting business
strategy, but instead that e-HRM and strategic involvement are related
indirectly based on its relationship to a company’s HR strategy.
1 Introduction
Past literature has provided two explanations of the relationship between e-HRM and
strategic HRM. A number of authors have suggested that e-HRM can act as a cause
of strategic HRM (SHRM) through the freeing up of HR practitioners’ time and the
provision of high quality information that enables them to act more strategically. The
alternative view, situated in the literature on contingent strategic HRM, suggests that
this relationship is reversed, in that e-HRM is a result of the strategic orientation of
the HR function. This view suggests that e-HRM is used as a part of SHRM to
achieve the competitive goals of the organization. To date, scholars have not
attempted to disentangle these two arguments by examining them simultaneously.
This paper will address this gap by addressing the question – which comes first: e-
HRM or SHRM? In laying the ground work for our discussion we distinguish
between SHRM and HR strategy. We therefore do not use these constructs
interchangeably but rather treat them as different and distinct.
Peruse the websites of various e-HRM software vendors and inevitably there will
be a customer statement describing how implementing an e-HRM product enhances
the HR function’s ability to be more strategic. The implication is that by combining
web-based information technology with human resource functionality, the HR
function is transformed from a transaction-burdened paper processor to a valued
strategic partner. The need for the HR function to transform to a function that is more
strategic has received significant attention in the literature for many years. Legge [5]
noted that the HR function should be more involved in senior management decision-
making and both Ulrich [6] and Paauwe [7] suggested that HR needed to become
H. Marler J. and Parry E. (2008).
Which Comes First e-HRM or SHRM?.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Human Resource Information Systems, pages 40-50
DOI: 10.5220/0001731600400050
Copyright
c
SciTePress
“more business oriented, more strategic and more oriented towards organizational
change”. A series of academics have set out the theoretical and empirical background
to the proposition that HR practitioners can have strategic impact [8, 9, 10]. The key
notion here is that the HR function is included in formulating and implementing
business strategy and hence is considered strategic.
Several scholars reinforce the claim that using e-HRM may help to transform the
HR function into a strategic business partner. For instance, Bussler and Davis [11]
concluded that “with the use of technological solutions, HR is no longer transactional
and reactionary but strategic and proactive” (p.17). Snell et al [12] provided a
detailed case study example of IT’s ability to provide “transformational impact” by
leading to “fundamental changes in the scope and function of the HR department”.
This supported the suggestion that this transformation of HR was perhaps the most
dramatic impact of IT [2]. Shrivastava and Shaw [13] also suggested that e-HRM
could have a transformational impact on the HR function by redefining its scope and
allowing it to focus on more strategic activities.
Authors have suggested that e-HRM can facilitate this transformation in the role
of HR to one that is more strategic in two main ways. Firstly, the use of automated or
self-service systems to accomplish a great deal of HR’s transactional or administrative
work means that the HR function has more time to manage human resources
strategically and become a full partner in the business [14,15]. Secondly, the use of e-
HRM means that detailed information about a company’s people can be produced
quickly and easily. This data can be used for analytical decision support [16] and to
drive strategic organizational decisions [17].
In one of few empirical studies, Parry and Tyson’s [1] qualitative study of ten UK
organizations showed how the implementation of a web-based human resource
information system could lead to a shift towards more strategic activities in the HR
department. Parry and Tyson’s study found that the use of e-HRM could indeed
provide HR practitioners with the time and information in order to act more
strategically. Lawler and Mohrman [18] also supported this proposition through their
longitudinal survey of HR leaders. They found that advanced IT based systems can
both offload transactional tasks, freeing up HR professionals for more value-added
roles and offer the potential for HR to collect and analyze data on the effectiveness of
various approaches and decisions.
As a contrast to the above claims, however, strategic HRM scholars depict e-HRM
as the end result of strategic HRM. SHRM has been defined as “the pattern of planned
human resource deployments and activities intended to enable the firm to achieve its
goals” [10]. Wright and McMahan go on to state that the two most important
dimensions of SHRM are “the linking of HRM practices with the strategic
management process of the organization” and the “coordination among the various
HRM practices through a pattern of planned action” (p. 298). HR strategy represents
the “linking” mechanism between strategic formulation and implementation. Martin-
Alcazar et al [19] define HR strategy as an integrated set of human resource
management policies and practices developed to support execution of the company’s
implicit or explicit business strategy through managing the firm’s human capital.
Boxall and Purcell [9] explain that SHRM as a field of study is concerned with the
strategic choices associated with the use of labour in firms and with “explaining why
some firms manage them more effectively than others” (p. 49). By these definitions,
the use of e-HRM may be seen as a strategic choice, in itself as a way of enabling an
41
organization to achieve its goals and can, therefore, be an outcome of SHRM rather
than the driver of a strategic HR role.
Broderick and Boudreau [4] supported this idea with their use of Schuler and
Jackson’s [20] contingent SHRM model to explain how information technology may
be used in different ways as a result of the firm’s competitive strategy. Schuler and
Jackson [20] created a framework for external fit in SHRM based on Porter’s [21]
suggestion that firms should specialize in one of cost leadership, differentiation or
focus. Schuler and Jackson [20] argued that business performance will improve when
a firm’s HR practices mutually reinforce the firm’s choice of the competitive strategy
of cost leadership, quality and customer satisfaction and innovation. Different
strategies require different kinds of employee behaviour, and therefore different HR
practices to encourage these behaviours. Broderick and Boudreau [4] explained how
transaction processing systems, expert systems and decision support systems could be
used to achieve the objectives of Schuler and Jackson’s three competitive strategies.
For example, transaction processing systems could be used to support customer
satisfaction/quality strategies by increasing the time for quality initiatives, enabling
custom reports and increasing the awareness of HR information. This suggestion
supports the assertion that e-HRM is an outcome of SHRM rather than a cause.
Reddington and Martin [3] also suggested a model by which the goals of e-HRM
systems are driven by HR strategy and HR policies. These goals can be classified in
terms of transactional goals such as reducing costs and HR headcount and
transformational goals such as freeing up the time of HR staff to address more
strategic issues, and by transforming the contributions that HR can provide to the
organization. This model therefore supports the idea that the use of e-HRM is a result
(rather than a cause) of the strategic nature of the HR function. Hannon et al [22]
suggested that human resource information systems have the potential to be the
mechanism by which transnational organizations monitor and deploy their personnel
in order to attain and sustain a competitive advantage. Ruel et al [23] have found that
e-HRM can be used to promote the effectiveness of HRM therefore laying more
weight to this argument.
We can see from the above discussion therefore that there are opposing views of
the relationship between SHRM and e-HRM. In one view e-HRM precedes the HR
function becoming more strategic, either as the process by which HR strategies
becomes strategic as illustrated in Figure 1 or the catalyst as illustrated in Figure 2.
Fig. 1. e-HRM is the process by which HR Strategy makes HR more strategic.
In Figure 1, e-HRM is the result of HR strategy but is also the linking mechanism
between HR strategy and Strategic HRM. As an the integrated set of human resource
management policies and practices developed to support execution of the company’s
implicit or explicit business strategy through managing the firm’s human capital [19],
e-HRM then represents a strategic choice regarding how to best implement or deliver
these practices. By enabling the successful delivery of relevant human resource
practices, e-HRM then facilitates elevating the role of HR from administrative
transaction processor to strategic business partner. Thus our first set of hypotheses
HR strategy e-HRM
HR role in
Business Strate
gy
42
articulate the direction of these relationships in which e-HRM represents the process
by which HR strategy realizes its strategic role within an organization.
H1: The relationship between HR strategy and HR involvement in business strategy
is mediated by stage of e-HRM such that the stage of e-HRM implementation is the
process through which HR strategy is related to HR involvement in business strategy.
Fig. 2. HR Strategy is the process by which e-HRM makes HR more strategic.
The alternate relationships in Figure 2 illustrates a slightly different view in which
investments in e-HRM free up time for HR to focus on more strategic activities.
Through spending more time on strategic value added activities HR builds an HR
strategy and through these strategic activities, HR also develops credibility to take on
a more active role in the creation of business strategy. The following hypotheses
reflect this possible relationship:
H2. The relationship between stage of e-HRM and HR involvement in business
strategy is mediated by HR strategy such that creating an HR strategy is the process
through which e-HRM is related to HR involvement in business strategy
development.
Fig. 3. HR Strategy is the process by which e-HRM is strategic.
Finally, in Figure 3, e-HRM is the consequence of a rational set of decisions
emanating from the top of the organization. This represents the more
traditional/contingent view of strategic human resources in which involvement in
business strategy precedes the development of an HR strategy and that e-HRM
evolves out of best implementing the HR strategy. Thus the last hypothesis proposes
the third alternative set of relationships:
H3: The relationship between HR involvement in business strategy and the stage of
e-HRM in a firm is mediated by HR Strategy.
Which view is more accurate? In this paper we, empirically examine this question
using an international data set comprising over 3,500 companies located in 29
different countries.
2 Methods
2.1 Sample and Procedures
The data used in this study were taken from the 2003 Cranet survey, by far the most
comprehensive international survey of HR policies and practices at the organisational
e-HRM
HR strategy
HR role in
Business Strategy
HR role in
Business Strategy
HR strategy
e-HRM
43
level. Cranet is a regular comparative survey of organisational policies and practices
across the world conducted by a network of business schools operating in 40 countries.
The unit of analysis is the organisation and the respondent is the highest-ranking
corporate officer in charge of HRM. The 2003 questionnaire was developed using an
iterative process between network members and based on previous experience of
running survey rounds since 1990.
Respondents in each country were identified via the use of a database of senior
HR managers in public and private sector organisations. The data was approximately
representative for the population of each country in terms of industry sector and
organisation size. Representing 7,914 companies, these data cover a wide range of
countries and HR policies and practices. The data were collected over an eighteen-
month period from late 2003 until mid 2005. The response rate across countries
ranged from 5% to 86%.
In this study only companies with self-reported human resource information
systems were analyzed. Thus out of a total sample of 7,914 companies, the final
useable sample consisted of 3,747 companies from 29 countries. These companies
represented those companies for which there were no missing data or reasonably
imputable data for the variables measured in this study. Most of the missing data
arose either because company headquarter information was not completed or where
the company indicated they had no human resource information system. In the later
case, respondents were then directed to skip questions related to e-HRM. To
determine whether such missing data were a concern we reran our analyses assuming
a zero value for stage of e-HRM for all missing data responses. Our results were
similar to the results we report here.
2.2 Measures
The three dependent and independent variables for this study were whether the
organization had an HR strategy, at what stage the organization was in it’s e-HRM
capability, and the HR function’s involvement in the organization’s business strategy.
These variables were measured using responses from the Cranet questionnaire.
HR Strategy was measured as a one-item scale representing a self-reported
response to the following question, “Does your organization have a personnel/HRM
strategy?” Response choices were: 1= yes, written; 2 = yes, unwritten; 4 = no, and 3=
don’t know. The variable was treated as ordinal and reversed-coded.
e-HRM Stage represented a one-item scale in which the respondent indicated at
which stage they believed their level of HR web deployment was. Response choices
described 5 levels in which the lowest level was described as one-way communication
(e.g information publishing for general scrutiny). The middle level was two-way
communication: employee is able to update simple personal information such as bank
details. The highest level represented a system that allowed more complex
transactions than two communications which included selection, calculation and
confirmation by and for employees.
HR Involvement in Strategy was measured as one-item scale in which the
respondent chose at which stage the person responsible for personnel/HR was
involved in the development of the organization’s business strategy. The four
response options were: 1= from the outset, 2=through subsequent consultation, 3= on
44
implementation and 4 = not consulted. This scale was treated as ordinal and was
reversed-coded.
In addition to the dependent and independent variables of interest, we also
included several control variables that might also be associated with the use of e-
HRM, the existence of an HR Strategy or HR involvement in an organization’s
strategy to reduce omitted variable bias. These control variables consisted of
measures of whether the company outsourced its human resource information system,
outsourced other HR functions, the location of the company’s headquarters, whether
the company’s main product market was local, proportion of employees that were
members of a trade union, size, and industry.
Measures of HRIS Outsourcing and HR Outsourcing were created from responses
to a question on how had the company’s use of external providers for payroll,
pensions, benefits, training and development, workforce outplacement, and HR
information systems had changed. Response choices comprised an ordinal measure
beginning with external providers not used, decreased, same, and ending with
increased. The measure for HRIS outsourcing represented a dichotomous measure
where one indicated use of an external provider, whether decreased, increased or
remained the same, and zero indicated the company did not use an external provider.
The measure of HR Outsourcing was derived by adding the responses for whether
external providers were used for payroll, pensions, benefits, training and development,
and workforce outplacement. The highest score was obtained if a company indicated
that they had increased external provider use for all five HR services. The lowest
score would represent those companies that did not use external providers for any of
the five HR services.
Percent union represented the proportion of the total number of employees in the
company that were members of a trade union. Size was measured as the natural
logarithm of the total number of people employed in the company
Indicator variables were created for the location of each company’s corporate
headquarters, product market and industry. Five dummies indicated if the
headquarters were in the European Union, Europe outside of the EU, North America,
South-East Asia, or Africa. The indicator for product market indicated if the
company’s main products or markets were local or else zero if mainly national,
European of world-wide. Finally dummy variables for 14 self-reported industry
sectors were also created. Where necessary, the omitted or reference industry category
were the banking, finance and insurance industry.
2.3 Analysis
The key variables in this study are company-level variables nested in countries, which
makes these data hierarchical. Consequently we adopted hierarchical linear modeling
to test our hypotheses. In mean centering the company level data and using
hierarchical linear modeling, we were able to estimate the company-level
relationships net of any country-level effects [24]. Thus all the coefficients
represented an efficient estimate of company relationships using the full sample of
companies.
We performed our analyses in three steps following similar procedures outlined
by Bryk and Rudenbush [24], (200 First we estimated a null model in which there
45
were no predictors at either level 1 (company level) or level 2 (country level) to
partition the dependent variables (HR Strategy, e-HRM and HR Strategic
Involvement) into within- and between-country components. From this information
we computed the proportion of the total variance around the grand mean of each
dependent variable related to company-level variance and variance related to country-
level effects. Second, in the level 1 analyses, the dependent variables were regressed
on country-mean-centered company-level predictors and control variables. A
regression line was estimated for each of the 29 countries in this step. In the third step,
which represented the level 2 analyses, the intercepts and beta coefficients estimated
in the step 2 regressions were tested to see if they varied significantly across countries
.
3 Results
The average company in our sample had approximately 2,400 employees with about
26-50% being members of a trade union. On average, our sample companies had an
HR strategy but it was unwritten, therefore, more informal. Further the person
responsible for HR was, on average, was not a strategic business partner and was only
involved in developing the business strategy through subsequent consultation.
Outsourcing payroll related functions was also the norm. On average a company
outsourced at least 3 other HR functions such as payroll, pensions, and benefits.
Furthermore, 80% of sample outsourced HRIS. Not surprisingly, therefore, as of 2003,
the companies were on average at stage 1 of e-HRM deployment with only about 15%
at more sophisticated stages of
deployment (Stage 4 and Stage 5).
Our data analyses reveal that across the three dependent variables, E-HRM stage,
HR involvement in business strategy, and HR strategy, between country variations
was quite limited. For e-HRM it represented 7.5% of the total variance in e-HRM
shown on Table 2 column 1; for HR involvement and HR strategy it only represented
9% of the variance on Table 3 column 1 and Table 4 column 1, respectively. Thus
most of the variance in these variables occurred between companies not between
countries.
Table 1. Variable Means and Correlations.
46
Table 2. Hierarchical Linear Modeling Results for e-HRM Stage.
Variable
τ
123 4
Level 1
Intercept 1,39 (0,06) *** 1,70 (0,11) *** 1,57 (0,09) *** 1,56 (0,11) ***
HRIS Outsourcing -0,11 (0,06) * 0,07 (0,06) 0,08 (0,06)
HR Outsourcing 0,02 (0,01) ** 0,02 (0,01) ** 0,02 (0,01) ***
Euro Headquarters -0,05 (0,06) -0,06 (0,06) -0,06 (0,06)
Asian Headquarters -0,07 (0,12) -0,09 (0,12) -0,09 (0,11)
African Headquarters -0,29 (0,09) *** -0,35 (0,07) *** -0,30 (0,10) **
Local Product Market -0,03 (0,04) -0,03 (0,04) -0,02 (0,04)
Percent Union -0,01 (0,01) -0,01 (0,01) -0,01 (0,01)
Size 0,10 (0,02) *** 0,10 (0,02) *** 0,09 (0,02) ***
e-HRM Stage
HR Involvement 0,04 (0,02) * 0,02 (0,02)
HR Strategy 0,10 (0,02) *** 0,06 (0,01) ***
Level 2
Intercept 1,56 (0,1) *** 0,1 ***
e-HRM Stage
HR Involvement 0,00 (0,0) 0,0 *
HR Strategy 0,06 (0,0) *** 0,0
Between-Country residual 0,093
Within-Country residual
variance
1,156 1,11 1,11 1,10 1,10
Between-country variance 0,075
R2 within-country 0,04 0,04 0,05 0,05
Model deviance
ni 3753
nj 29
e-HRM
Company-LevelNull Model Company-Level Country-Level
Table 3. Hierarchical Linear Modeling Results for HR Involvement in Business Strategy.
Variable Company Level Country Level
τ
123
Level 1
Intercept 4.50 -0.11 **** 3.09 (0.07) *** 3.08 (0.07) ***
HRIS Outsourcing -0.01 (0.04) 0.00 (0.04)
HR Outsourcing 0.02 (0.00) *** 0.01 (0.00) ***
Euro Headquarters -0.13 (0.08) + -0.11 (0.07)
Asian Headquarters 0.19 (0.07) * 0.18 (0.08) *
African Headquarters 0.17 (0.21) 0.26 (0.14) +
Local Product Market 0.03 (0.04) 0.04 (0.04)
Percent Union 0.01 (0.01) 0.01 (0.01)
Size 0.05 0.01 *** 0.02 (0.01) +
e-HRM Stage 0.03 (0.02) * 0.01 (0.02)
HR Strategy 0.13 (0.01) ***
Level 2
Intercept 3.07 (0.07) *** 0.06 ***
e-HRM Stage 0.01 (0.02) 0.00 *
HR Strategy 0.13 (0.01) *** 0.00 ***
Between-Country residual 0.32 *** 0.05
Within-Country residual variance
3.19 0.86 0.81 0.805
R2 within-country 0.7 0.74 0.75
Between variance 0.09
Model deviance 15053
ni 3753
nj 29
Includes but not shown 14 industry fixed effects. The comparison/excluded industry is banking and financial services.
HR Involvement in Business Strategy
Null Model
In testing Hypothesis 1 in which we proposed that e-HRM mediated the
relationship between HR strategy and HR involvement in business strategy, we
followed the standard tests for mediation. We first regressed HR strategy on HR
involvement shown on Table 2 column 3 and then regressed HR strategy on e-HRM
shown on Table 4 column 3. We then regressed both HR strategy and e-HRM on HR
involvement. Our results shown on Table 2 column 6 and indicate that there is no
support for Hypothesis 1. The parameter estimate for e-HRM is not significantly
related to HR involvement.
We followed the same steps for testing Hypothesis 2 and Hypothesis 3. Our results
shown on Table 3 columns 2 and 4 provide support of Hypothesis 2. When e-HRM
47
stage is regressed on HR involvement without controlling for HR strategy there is a
significant relationship (b=.03 p<.05). However, when HR strategy is added to the
model, e-HRM loses significance but HR strategy remains significant (b = .13
p<.001).
Our results also support Hypothesis 3 in which we propose the more traditional
strategic human resource causal specification. Here the relationship runs in the
opposite to the one posited in Hypothesis 2. Our results indicate that HR
involvement’s in business strategy significantly predicts stage of e-HRM shown on
Table 2 column 4 (b = .04 p<.05) and so does HR strategy shown on Table 2 column
2 (b = .10 p<.001). When both variables are entered together, however, HR
involvement is no longer a significant predictor of e-HRM but HR strategy remains
significant (b=.06 p<.001).
Table 4. Hierarchical Linear Modeling Results for HR Strategy.
Variable
τ
12
Level 1
Intercept 4.49 (0.1) *** 4.71 (0.14) ***
HRIS Outsourcing -0.07 (0.06) ***
HR Outsourcing 0.01 (0.01)
Euro Headquarters -0.01 (0.01)
Asian Headquarters 0.08 (0.19) ***
African Headquarters -0.77 (0.51)
Local Product Market -0.11 (0.08)
Percent Union -0.03 (0.02)
Size 0.18 (0.03) ***
e-HRM Stage 0.16 (0.02) ***
HR Involvement 0.45 (0.03) ***
HR Strategy
Level 2
Intercept 4.70 (0.15) *** 0.33 ***
e-HRM Stage 0.16 (0.03) *** 0.00
HR Involvement 0.43 (0.03) *** 0.01
HR Strategy
Between-Country residual 0.32
Within-Country residual
variance
3.19 2.88 2.88
Between-country variance 0.09
R2 within-country 0.10 0.10
Model deviance 11697 14718 14712
ni 3753
HR Strategy
Null Model Company-Level Country-Level
4 Discussion
We add to the literature on the role e-HRM plays in the strategic HR landscape
through the use of data from a large scale quantitative survey. We use this
quantitative data to examine the relationship between stage of e-HRM investment and
its relationship with making HR “more strategic”. We distinguish between two
concepts in the literature on HR and strategy. First, we identify the concept of an HR
strategy, which we defined as representing HR policies and practices aimed at
supporting the business strategy. Second we considered to what extent HR was
involved in setting the company’s business strategy. We have used the latter variable
to reflect the existence of strategic HRM, where the HR function is viewed as a
strategic business partner in overall strategy development. Our results provide a
number of insights into the relationship between e-HRM, HR strategy, and strategic
HRM.
Firstly, our results show that stage of e-HRM is not the “process” through which a
company’s HR strategy transforms the HR function into becoming a business partner
48
(hypothesis 1). Thus, e-HRM does not appear to be the linking mechanism between
HR strategy and elevating the HR function into a strategic business partner.
Our results, however, suggest the relationship between e-HRM and strategic HRM
operates indirectly through the company’s HR strategy. Thus our results provide
support for the second and third hypotheses. With cross sectional data, however, we
cannot say whether e-HRM precedes having an HR strategy or it follows having an
HR strategy. Does a firm invest in e-HRM and this makes HR strategic which in turn
is related to greater HR involvement in setting business strategy? Or do companies in
which HR is involved in business strategy create HR strategies which facilitate
investing in e-HRM? In the former, e-HRM precedes transformation to SHRM
through its relationship with HR strategy. In this specification e-HRM precedes both
HR strategy and SHRM. In the latter, e-HRM is the result of HR being a SHRM
function first.
The endogenous relationship between e-HRM and HR strategy can arise for two
reasons. First, the reciprocal relationship may be spurious in that it is really the result
of both being related to a common third factor. We tried to rule out this possibility by
including other variables, such as HR outsourcing, size, and location in our model
specification. A second reason for reciprocity might arise from causal ordering. One
variable precedes the other but the relationship is also circular. To address this
possibility involves conducting research with longitudinal data. In this way we can
examine the order in which the relationships unfold.
Qualitative case studies can also shed light on this sequencing puzzle. The evidence
provided by Parry and Tyson [1] suggests that the causal order is best represented in
Figure 2 rather than Figure 3. That is initially, e-HRM precedes the development of a
HR strategy which in turn leads to HR’s greater involvement in business strategy
development. Parry and Tyson’s case studies also suggest however, that in some cases,
the implementation of e-HRM may be the result of an HR strategy that reflects
increased involvement of HR in business strategy, thus also lending support to Figure
3. It is clear therefore that future research, both qualitative and quantitative in nature,
is needed to confirm whether these initial findings are true and also the contextual
contingencies that may better predict the causal ordering (e.g. e-HRM may precede
HR strategy in younger firms, in less developed countries, in certain industries, but
not mature companies, or in more developed countries, or certain industries).
Our examination makes an incremental contribution towards better understanding
the relationship between the use of e-HRM within organizations and the strategic
nature of the HR function. We establish the nature of this relationship, ruling out one
set of possible relationships but still leaving open the viability of two other sets of
relationships. Both qualitative and quantitative longitudinal research and more
comprehensive measures of key constructs are needed to build our knowledge of
where and when e-HRM contributes to strategic HRM.
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