A multicase study: Exploring human resource information system implementation and utilization in multinational corporations in Kenya

Implementation and utilization of human resource information system (HRIS) though a very desirable prospect for many organizations, still remains a daunting task for many. This has been daunting because of prohibitive costs, security risks, top management resistance, employee attitudes, and so forth. Trends globally show that, organizations that have fully implemented and utilized the HRIS systems out-do those that have not in areas such as return on investment, organization performance, productivity and job satisfaction among others. A core purpose of the HRIS implementation and utilization has been to support the human resources management (HRM) professionals, so they may become more strategic business partners in their respective organizations. In this capacity the HRM professionals would be able to challenge leaders confidently on core issues, design organizational best practices, provide thought provoking as well as challenging initiatives and ensure that they have a competitive edge in the global market. Additionally bigger organizations such as multinational corporations (MNCs) seemingly are more adept to implementing and utilizing the HRIS than perhaps smaller enterprises. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the implementation and utilization of HRIS in MNCs in Kenya. The Kenya government has embarked on the vision 2030 economic development progress, aimed at pushing Kenya into becoming a middle level income country. The government's main goal is to propel Kenya into a global information and communications technology hub as well as a first-class location for business process outsourcing. To capitalize on the synergy between these two assets, HRIS is an emerging force that will, optimistically speaking lead HRM into a new dawn.