Strategic Human Resource Management and Technology 383
Any organization in any industry that has the potential of being
involved in litigation in the U.S. federal court system needs to incor-
porate electronic discovery (e - discovery) requirements. The December
2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) man-
date changes in the way organizations manage their data. Information
technology departments need to have knowledge of what information is
retained, where data are stored, and how long to keep the data. They also
need to have the ability to quickly and accurately respond to litigation
hold notices. Public and nonprofi t organizations routinely handle large
volumes of sensitive records. They are now responsible for e - mail, instant
messages, text messages, blogs, personal digital assistants, voice mail, cell
phones, laptops, Internet and intranet, Web sites, hard drives, and all
forms of digital fi les, including music, pictures, and video shared using
the agency ’ s resources across all forms of digital media. The changes to the
FRCP recognize electronic records as a category of documents that
are subject to discovery during litigation and are to be retrievable in a
“ reasonable ” amount of time (Milburn, 2007; Search and Electronically
Discover, 2007).
Human Resource Information Systems
The HRM function is responsible for attracting, developing, and main-
taining the agency ’ s workforce. Human resources identifies potential
employees, maintains complete records on existing employees, and creates
programs to develop employees ’ talents and skills,
Strategic - level human resources information systems identify the
personnel requirements, such as the skills, educational level, types of
positions, number of positions, and cost, for meeting the agency ’ s stra-
tegic plans. At the management level, an HRIS helps managers moni-
tor and analyze the recruitment, allocation, and compensation of
employees. HR knowledge systems support analysis activities related to
job design, training, and the modeling of employee career paths and
reporting relationships. HR operational systems track the recruitment
and placement of the agency ’ s employees (see Figure 13.1 ).
Technological advances have not only changed how organizations are
structured and work is performed, but have also begun to change the tasks
of HRM specialists. Computers are used to perform many of the functions
for which employees were once responsible.
