The contribution of e‐HRM to HRM effectiveness : Results from a quantitative study in a Dutch Ministry

Purpose – Both for‐profit and not‐for‐profit organisations have been replacing face‐to‐face HRM activities with web‐based HRM tools, e‐HRM for short, for employees and managers since the 1990s. This paper aims to look at whether this is of benefit to an organisation. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in The Netherlands, where e‐HRM in the form of employee self‐service applications was introduced. Findings – The study shows that individual assessment of e‐HRM applications influences HRM technical and strategic effectiveness. This is especially so in the perceived quality of the content and the structure of e‐HRM applications which have a significant and positive effect on technical and strategic HRM effectiveness. Research limitations/implications – It is difficult to form generalizations from the research into only one company. Practical implications – The basic expectations are that using e‐HRM will decrease costs, will improve the HR service level and will give the HR department space to become a strategic partner. This study investigates whether this is the case. Originality/value – The area on which this study concentrates has not had extensive academic research conducted into it.