TY - CHAP

T1 - Digital Workplace Transformation Triggers a Shift in the HR Identity

T2 - European Conference on Information Systems 2023

AU - Gierlich-Joas, Maren

AU - Zimmer, Markus Philipp

N1 - Conference code: 31

PY - 2023/5/11

Y1 - 2023/5/11

N2 - Digital workplace technologies and changing demands of the workforce drive digital workplace transformation (DWT). In response, the human resources (HR) function implements people analytics (PA), which can either enable traditional HR reporting or facilitate novel personalized employee experiences. This either/or in leveraging PA induces a shift in the HR function’s identity. Building upon paradox theory and using the concept of identity, we investigate the occurring tensions due to the implementation of PA. We use a two-staged qualitative research approach, consisting of an ethnography at a company undergoing DWT, extended to insights from 18 expert interviews from the field of PA for theoretical generalization. We make two contributions. First, our findings suggest two HR identity archetypes: HR as resource managers vs. HR as growth catalyst. Second, we extend the paradoxical tension between these two archetypes to DWT literature questioning the pertinent view of identity metamorphosis.

AB - Digital workplace technologies and changing demands of the workforce drive digital workplace transformation (DWT). In response, the human resources (HR) function implements people analytics (PA), which can either enable traditional HR reporting or facilitate novel personalized employee experiences. This either/or in leveraging PA induces a shift in the HR function’s identity. Building upon paradox theory and using the concept of identity, we investigate the occurring tensions due to the implementation of PA. We use a two-staged qualitative research approach, consisting of an ethnography at a company undergoing DWT, extended to insights from 18 expert interviews from the field of PA for theoretical generalization. We make two contributions. First, our findings suggest two HR identity archetypes: HR as resource managers vs. HR as growth catalyst. Second, we extend the paradoxical tension between these two archetypes to DWT literature questioning the pertinent view of identity metamorphosis.

KW - Business informatics

KW - Digital Workplace Transformation

KW - Digital Transformation

KW - Identity Shift

KW - People Analytics

KW - Organizational Identity

UR - https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2023/

M3 - Article in conference proceedings

T3 - European Conference on Information Systems - ECIS Proceedings

BT - ECIS 2023 Proceedings

A2 - Aanestad, Margunn

A2 - Klein, Stefan

A2 - Tarafdar, Monideepa

PB - Association for Information Systems

Y2 - 11 June 2023 through 16 June 2023

ER -