Do uses of human resource information technology (HRInT) tools in federal organizations improve their human resource management productivity

Increasing reliance on automated information technologies in the federal workplace is leading to changes in how tasks are completed, skills needed to perform the tasks, and results generated from using automated practices. This study examines whether the organization-dependent implementation of computer-based automated practices obtained or developed to support federal hiring processes increases productivity. The timeframe studied is the Clinton administration, the years 1993 to 2001. One subject of interest to organizational developers and re-engineering practitioners is human resource management (HRM) within federal departments and agencies. Human resource management was a separate study in the Clinton administration's National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR) and one of the subjects identified for substantial improvements. The increasing use of information technology tools and the decreasing size of the federal HRM workforce have lead to changes in how HRM tasks are completed.; Automated practices, known as Human Resources Information Technology (HRInT) tools, are defined as computer-based software applications designed to assist HRM specialists in recruiting, rating, ranking, interviewing, and hiring new employees. Use of automated tools in HRM organizations is examined in terms of established public administration theory. Theories reviewed and discussed include Max Weber's tenets of bureaucracy, Dwight Waldo's theory of democracy, Herbert Simon's bounded rationality, and Ronald Coase's theory of transaction costs. The theory review concludes that multiple established theories support uses of HRInT tools. The research for this study includes literature reviews, interviews with practitioners, analyses of recent related surveys, and the completion of a survey focused on the use of HRInT tools in federal HRM organizations. This research supports the hypothesis, that using HRInT tools in federal hiring practices increases the federal HRM organization's productivity. Using four interdependent lenses from which to evaluate the findings, this research illuminates practical suggestions for improving current and future uses of HRInT tools. In addition, this study provides recommendations for related research that, if completed, would benefit public administration practitioners in preparing for future responsibilities.