A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award
of Degree of Masters of Human Resources Management of Mzumbe University
In the current Information Age, the success of any organization is centered on the extent
to which it is able to adopt new changes in Information Technology. Human Resource
function is one of the key departments but has been lagging behind in adoption of
Technology. This study aimed to make an assessment of factors that hinder the adoption
of HRIS at Ardhi University (ARU). The specific objectives were to examine the current
systems used to manage human resource, to find out the existing challenges in adopting
HRIS and to identify potential processes and areas of HRM for adoption of HRIS at
ARU. This study used single case study of ARU which comprised total population of
459 staff members; stratified random sampling, purposive sampling, and convenience
sampling were used to select 43 respondents. Data were collected through questionnaires
and in-depth interview to complement secondary data.
The findings of this study revealed that, ARU uses manual system to manage human
resource. The system is ineffective and inefficient and causes delays in making
decisions, errors, inconsistence, and creates room for favoritism. The management
commitment and willingness are the major factors that inhibit the adoption of the HRIS
at ARU. Further, the cost of adoption and maintenance of the HRIS found to be high
compared with the fund the University receives from the Government. The study also
revealed that, availability of IT consultants and experts and Organization size are the key
drivers towards the adoption of HRIS. Generally, the Management
commitment/willingness to adopt HRIS, cost of adoption and maintenance are the major
inhibiting factors for HRIS adoption at ARU.
Based on the findings of this study, ARU Management is recommended to make
appropriate decision by formulating strategies, policies to acquire HRIS and integrates
the use of ICT with the strategies and plans rather than using HRIS for only
administrative applications such as payroll and employees’ record keeping in order to
effectively and efficiently utilize human capital for a great success of the University.