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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the adoption of information technology is associated with human resource management and organizational restructuring.Design/methodology/approachSMEs in Nova Scotia were visited and complete data from 130 firms were obtained.FindingsThe rate of IT adoption varies noticeably among SMEs in Nova Scotia, with less than 10 per cent being high adopters. IT adoption was strongly associated with employer size, organizational restructuring and investment in human resource management.Research limitations/implicationsThe data are cross‐sectional and the generalizability of the results may be limited. While it was found that HRM and IT were strongly related, it was whether they are associated with higher employer performance was not examined.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that IT may play a role in enhancing the human resource function.Originality/valueThere has been little research exploring the link between HRM and IT adoption, particularly among small firms. This paper fills some of the gaps.

In recent years, health care in Canada as elsewhere has witnessed unprecedented restructuring and reorganization. Concurrent with the massive restructuring of health care systems, many health care organizations have dramatically downsized their workforces by shedding jobs and people. It is generally assumed that forced workforce reductions can have significant deleterious consequences on organizations. This study examines the impact of workforce reduction on perceptions of organizational performance in a large sample of Canadian health care organizations.

Organizational scholars and practitioners alike have long recognized the role of corporate culture in shaping the strategic and operational choices that organizations pursue. It is the responsibility of those who plan for change to select approaches that are compatible with the enduring elements of the organization’s dominant culture. A large sample of Canadian hospitals were surveyed to assess how organizational culture impacts the choices that organizations make in managing fiscal cutbacks. Results suggest that approaches and strategies used by Canadian hospitals in managing the change are variably influenced by CEO perceptions of the prevailing corporate culture.