The transformation of people, processes, and IT in e-recruiting : Insights from an eight-year case study of a German media corporation

Purpose – There is only scarce research about the transformation of e-HRM in general, and of the e-recruiting function in particular. Further, there is not much known of the transformational implications for the related people, process, and information technology (IT). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – To analyze the transformation of e-recruiting caused by external influences outside of the organization, the authors report the results of an eight-year case with a media corporation in order to derive and describe five consecutive steps of an e-recruiting transformation model. Findings – The paper comes up with five stages (transformation of tools, transformation of systems, transformation of workflows, transformation of tasks, and transformation of communication), each influenced by external developments and market tendencies (War for Talent, increasing number of applications, job market switch, globalization of job market, changing communication behavior). Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to literature by explaining the drivers of an e-HRM transformation and the different stages of this transformation process differentiated by the affected people, processes, and IT. However, it only observes the transformation in one company, hence the transformation of further e-HRM functions in other companies might differ. Practical implications – The paper highlights both the transformation of e-recruiting and for the related people, processes, and IT, so companies could observe their current status of e-recruiting transformation. Originality/value – This paper represents the first longitudinal approach observing the transformation of e-recruiting by describing different stages and external influences.