High-performance work systems in an Arab Middle Eastern context: analysis from multisource data
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-04-2021-0070 |
| Published date | 15 April 2022 |
| Date | 15 April 2022 |
| Pages | 403-422 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
| Author | Mohammed Aboramadan |
High-performance work systems in
an Arab Middle Eastern context:
analysis from multisource data
Mohammed Aboramadan
Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Abstract
Purpose –The absence of robust information on the application of Human resources managemnet (HRM)
practices in the Arab Middle Eastern region has generated an urgent need to understand what and how HRM
practices can be used to manage employeesin the region. Therefore,building on the social exchange theory and
job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this paper proposes a model to examine the effects of high-performance
work systems (HPWS) on employees’work-related outcomes, namely, job performance, organizational
citizenship behavior (OCB) and innovative work behavior (IWB) in a non-industry setting in an Arab Middle
Eastern context. In this model, work engagement was theorized to serve as an intervening mechanism among
the aforementioned relationships.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were collected from 210 academic staff working in the Palestinian
higher education sector, together with evaluations from 30 supervisors. Structural equation modeling (SEM)
was employed to analyze the data.
Findings –The results indicate that HPWS positively affect employees’job performance, OCB and IWB.
Moreover, work engagement partially mediates these relationships.
Practical implications –The results can be useful for managers in the Middle East pertaining to the role
HPWS can play in boosting employees’job performance, OCB and IWB.
Originality/value –HRM research in Middle East, although limited, is mainly focused on examining the
impact of HPWS on organizational rather than individual outcomes. In response to the scholarly call made on
the strong need to conduct more HRM research in the Middle East (Budhwar et al., 2019), this research
represents the first study that examines the impact of HPWS on in-role and extra-role performance in an Arab
Middle Eastern context. Furthermore, the study contributes to the HRM research by relying on a sample from a
non-industry sector rather than a sample from a manufacturing setting. Finally, this research is one of the few
studies that explore the outcomes of HPWS in an academic setting through the intervening mechanism of work
engagement.
Keywords High-performancework systems, OCB, Innovative work behavior, Work engagement, Middle East
higher education
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
As several organizations seek mechanisms to enhance organizational and employee’s
performance, research on human resources management has gained a significant attention.
Under the umbrella of Human resources managemnet (HRM) research, a particular interest
has emerged to explore HPWS. HPWS usually refer to a bundle of human resources practices
which is primarily designed to foster employees’motivation, skills and commitment (Datta
et al., 2005; Pham-Thai et al., 2018;Wattoo et al., 2020). According to Huselid (1995), HPWS
comprise a set of practices that includes selection, compensation management, performance
management, training and involvement. If these practices are working as a system, they are
expected to be a source of competitive advantage (Datta et al., 2005). In the same line, scholars
(Boxall and Macky, 2009;Ma et al., 2021) have viewed HPWS as a successful human resources
strategy at the workplace. Furthermore, researchers have established links between HPWS
Arab Middle
Eastern HRM
practices
403
The author confirms that there is no conflict of interest in this study and this studyhas not received any
financial support or funding from any part.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2049-3983.htm
Received 23 April 2021
Revised 3 January 2022
18 March 2022
28 March 2022
Accepted 31 March 2022
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 10 No. 4, 2022
pp. 403-422
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2049-3983
DOI10.1108/EBHRM-04-2021-0070
and several organizational outcomes such as voluntary turnover, corporate social
performance and business performance (see Jiang et al., 2012;Kim et al., 2020;Zhang et al.,
2014). Although HPWS research has largely focused on the links between HPWS and
organizational performance (Zhang et al., 2014), a great deal of efforts was also made to study
the effect of HPWS on employees’work-related outcomes (Haar et al., 2021;Miao et al., 2021;
Pham-Thai et al., 2018;Wang et al., 2021;Zhang et al., 2019). Of these studies, Miao et al. (2021)
demonstrated a positive association between HPWS and employees’psychological capital,
whereas Pham-Thai et al. (2018) found that HPWS positively impact employees’job
engagement. Also, Haar et al. (2021) found that HPWS contribute to encouraging creativity
behaviors.
Despite this increased attention among researchers to examine the HPWS employees’
outcomes link, most of the empirical studies were conducted in Western contexts (Bailey et al.,
2017;Pham-Thai et al., 2018). In addition to that, HPWS research was largely focused on
manufacturing setting (see Chang and Chen, 2011) and to a less extent on service sectors.
Among the studies that examined HPWS in service-based settings, Zhang et al. (2013) found
that HPWS are positively linked to work engagement among Chinese medical staff. Others
such as Chang and Chen (2011) demonstrated that the HPWS employee job performance link
is mediated by affective commitment and human capital in hairdressing shops.
Notwithstanding, the literature still lacks evidence on whether the application of HPWS
can generate positive behaviors among employees in an Arab Middle Eastern context and
especially in service sectors. It is important also to highlight that the limited studies
conducted in Arab Middle Eastern countries were focused on examining the effect of HPWS
on organizational performance rather than employees’outcomes (see Obeidat, 2017;Obeidat
et al., 2016). Given the scarcity of HRM research in the region, Budhwar et al. (2019) in their
literature review called for the need to conduct more research on HRM practices in the
Middle East.
Therefore, this study seeks to address the previous gaps and contribute to the growth of
HPWS literature by expanding the empirical studies of the HPWS field and testing the related
theories. To do so, this study aims at examining the relationship between HPWS and
employees’outcomes (job performance, OCB and IWB) through the mediating effect of work
engagement using data coming from a non-industry setting in an Arab Middle Eastern
context. Unlike the plethora of empirical research of HPWS, data in this study come from
Arab employees working in the higher education sector in Palestine.
In addition to filling the aforementioned gaps, this study also contributes to the higher
education research by examining work engagement as a mechanism that can govern the
relationship between HPWS and academic staff’s outcomes. In general, work engagement is
viewed as a hot topic, yet it is not well explored in academic setting (Daniels, 2016;Wilkins
et al., 2017) and requires further attention (Gonz
alez-Rico et al., 2018). The HPWS literature
shows that there are many studies which have given importance to the role of work
engagement in the HPWS employees’outcomes links (see Karatape, 2013;Pham-Thai et al.,
2018), yet Bailey et al. (2017) found that there is still little known on work engagement as an
intervening mechanism. Another recent call made by Bakker and Albrecht (2018) highlighted
the need to advance our knowledge on work engagement in non-industry settings.
Finally, since our data come from higher education, the study adds another contribution
on the importance of HPWS in unexplored non-industry settings. Higher education
institutions are considered to be research and training institutions that need to attract and
develop their personnel. Service-oriented organizations (i.e. higher education) rely heavily on
highly skilled and trained employees to provide quality services. This is important because
universities cannot improve their performance and reputation without the presence of
excellent and experienced academic staff (Amin et al., 2014). To do so, many of these
institutions started to realize the importance of embracing HRM practices. For instance, it has
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