THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF DYNAMIC CAPABILITY ON THE HR INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THE ATTAINMENT OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN JORDANIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the use of a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and the attainment of Competitive Advantage (CA) through the mediating effect of Dynamic Capability (DC) at Higher Education Institutions (JHEIs) in Jordan. Data were collected from 416 full-time academic staff at 13 universities in Jordan. The research adopted a quantitative statistical approach and used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the obtained data. The findings showed that the HRIS has both a direct and indirect significant impact on CA in JHEIs. The HRIS applications and benefits showed a direct and positive influence on CA. As for the indirect effect, all the HRIS applications were positively related to DC, which, in turn, was positively related to CA. Thus DC was shown to play a mediating role between HRIS and CA. In addition, the paper highlights that the education sector in Jordan consists of many institutions which are attempting to implement new, innovative working mechanisms such as the HRIS and utilize it to make a valuable contribution to CA. Moreover, the effect on DC of applying HRIS supports JHEIs in bringing about innovations to attain CA.