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IT Human Resource Management Configurations and IT Turnover: Theoretical Synthesis and Empirical Analysis

School of Business Administration, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio 45469-2130
Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-1815
Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-1701
School of Business, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois 62026-1106
ferratt{at}udayton.edu
ragarwal{at}rhsmith.umd.edu
cbrown{at}indiana.edu
joemoor{at}siue.edu

Increasingly, scholars and practitioners acknowledge that information technology (IT) human capital is a strategic resource and that its effective management represents a significant organizational capability. We use configurational theory to examine organizational practices related to the management of IT human capital. In contrast to much prior work in IT human resource management (HRM) that is focused at the individual level, our inquiry is focused at the organizational level of analysis. Building on strategic human resource management (SHRM) research in general and research on the management of IT professionals in particular, we examine the broad question: Are different configurations of IT HRM practices associated with different IT staff turnover rates? A multidimensional view of IT HRM practices is presented, based on prior IT and SHRM literature. We formalize hypotheses regarding the relationship of turnover with configurations of IT HRM practices grounded in prior theory and empirical research. Based on survey responses from 106 organizations, IT HRM dimensions and configurations are derived and the hypotheses are tested. A five-configuration solution, obtained via cluster analysis, includes two contrasting configurations consistent with two archetypes found in the prior literature. Specifically, the configuration with a human capital focus has lower turnover than the task-focused configuration, providing support for our first hypothesis. Although the hypothesis on intermediate configurations and their relationship with turnover is not supported, we discover and interpret three additional configurations that embody patterns of practices with unique emphases. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Key Words: IT HR strategy; information technology professionals; staffing; information systems personnel management
History: This paper was received on March 10, 2003.

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