The Attitude-Behavior Gap in Technology Adoption: A Consumer Behavior Perspective on HRIS Use

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) are often introduced as platforms expected to deliver strategic value through workforce analytics, decision support, and alignment with organizational goals. Yet evidence consistently shows that line managers’ use remains confined to administrative functions. This paper addresses this paradox by reframing it through the lens of the attitude-behavior gap (ABG), a concept established in consumer research to describe the disconnect between favorable attitudes and actual behaviors. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 25 line managers in five UK organizations, the study identifies three themes: HRIS as an Administrative Rather than Strategic Tool, Organizational Identity and Role Expectations, and Confidence Gaps and Habitual Routines. Together, these themes illustrate how supportive attitudes toward HRIS coexist with restricted behavioral engagement, sustained by cultural scripts, situational barriers, and ingrained routines. Theoretically, the study extends the ABG beyond consumer contexts into organizational technology use, challenging the linear assumptions of dominant adoption models such as TAM and UTAUT. Practically, it highlights the need for cultural reframing of HR’s role, user-centered system design, and sustained training and integration efforts to enable more strategic engagement. By framing HRIS adoption as a context-dependent practice shaped by organizational roles and behavioral patterns, the paper offers deeper insight into why favorable attitudes toward innovation frequently fall short of producing substantive engagement.