Putting employee involvement in context: a cross-level model examining job satisfaction and absenteeism in high-involvement work systems

The current study examines how high-involvement work systems (HIWS) influence employee responses to involvement initiatives. While existing research has linked HIWS to individual attitudes, we predict that an organization's HIWS moderate the relationship between employee involvement and job satisfaction and absenteeism. Using multilevel data (8454 employees from 1429 workplaces), we found that employee involvement and HIWS are positively related to employee job satisfaction. Additionally, the results support a cross-level interaction: at high levels of HIWS, employee involvement is negatively related to absenteeism, whereas at low levels of HIWS, the negative relationship is weaker. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

Trust in the employer: the role of high-involvement work practices and procedural justice in European organizations

Despite the central role of trust in the organizational sciences, we know little about what makes people trust the organizations they work for. This paper examines the antecedents of employees' trust in their organizations drawing on survey data from over 600 European professional workers and managers. The results revealed direct as well as indirect relationships of both human resource (HR) practices and procedural justice with trust. The relationships of both HR practices and procedural justice with trust were partially mediated by perceptions of organizational trustworthiness (in terms of perceived ability and trustworthy intentions of the organization). Justice and HR practices were also found to interact such that justice forms a stronger predictor of trust in organizations when HR practices are less developed. In addition, employees' dispositional propensity to trust explained significant variance in employee trust in their organization, even when it was controlled in our analysis. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.     

The effects of high-involvement work systems and shared leadership on team creativity: A multilevel investigation

Understanding how to effectively stimulate creative potential in the workplace through strategic human resource management (HRM) practices is critical to enhancing organizational competitiveness. This study investigates the effects of high-involvement work systems (HIWS) on team creativity in terms of ability–motivation–opportunity theory and a team input–process–output model. It draws on a data set consisting of 668 employees from 112 teams in 41 organizations in China. The results reveal that HIWS are positively related to team creativity, not only directly, but also indirectly through a sequential mediating mechanism of involvement climate and shared leadership. We argue that when employees are placed in an autonomous work environment underpinned by HIWS, they will be more likely to be involved in creative activities and engage in mutual influence behaviors in their work teams, and lead each other to achieve a higher level of creativity. Our study extends the knowledge on strategic HRM/HIWS, shared leadership, and creativity.     

The transfer of Japanese work practices to plants in Thailand

This paper analyses two Japanese transplants that have been manufacturing products in Thailand for a number of years. The research shows that these transplants have not fully adopted three Japanese work practices that are characteristic of workplaces in Japan (the significant troubleshooting skills possessed by production workers, the production support work provided by assistant first-line supervisors and the overlapping roles of manufacturing engineers). The low wages and the subdivided job consciousness of Thai employees, the presence of Japanese expatriates who are not familiar with the workplace practices actually used in Japan and the fact that the transplants have manufactured standardized mature products that do not require high troubleshooting skills, are found to be the main causes for the incomplete transfer of work practices from the mother company.     

Innovation in work practices: a practice perspective

Dynamic capability theory argues that organizations' internal capabilities enable sustained competitive advantage. Innovations in work practices (commonly termed ‘high performance’, ‘high commitment’ or ‘high involvement’ practices) are an important source of these internal capabilities but research evidence shows low levels of penetration. Using a practice perspective, case study analysis of 7 establishments in the aerospace sector identifies three themes that are under-attended to in current research on innovations in work practices: industry and production context; distributed nature of management activity, and social embeddedness. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Organizational achievement values,high‐involvement work practices,and business unit performance

This study examines the relationships among organizational achievement values, high‐involvement work practices (HIWP), and business unit performance. Specifically, we examine whether HIWP mediate or moderate the effect of achievement values on retail store performance. Using data collected at three points in time from more than 1,000 employees, we found support for the mediation model. The article concludes with directions for future research and implications for management practice. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The effects of flexible work practices on employee attitudes: evidence from a large-scale panel study in Germany

We explore the effects of flexible work practices (FWPs) on the work attitudes (job satisfaction and turnover intention) and non-work attitudes (leisure satisfaction and perceived health) of employees based on representative large-scale German panel data. Because unobserved individual characteristics can easily act as confounders, we estimate both pooled ordinary least squares models and individual fixed-effects models. Controlling for time-constant individual heterogeneity, we find that the three considered FWPs – flexitime, sabbaticals, and working from home – significantly increase job satisfaction and that sabbaticals and working from home (but not flexitime) significantly decrease turnover intention. In addition, sabbaticals but not flexitime or working from home significantly increase leisure satisfaction. The effects of FWPs on health are mostly weak and statistically insignificant. Models that do not control for such individual heterogeneity either underestimate the positive effects of FWPs or find detrimental effects. Our findings indicate that organizations in Germany can increase job satisfaction and decrease employee turnover intention by offering FWPs.     

Perceptions of HR practices and innovative work behavior: the moderating effect of an innovative climate

Abstract

The purposes of this paper are to explore the effect that perceived HR practices have on the innovative work behavior (IWB) of individual workers and to examine the role that an innovative climate plays in this relationship. We hypothesize that employees will show greater IWB if they perceive the organizational climate to support innovation and perceive the presence of HR practices related to a compensation system, training and development, information sharing, and supportive supervision. Using data from 463 individuals in four Dutch manufacturing companies, the study tests the effects of employees’ perceptions of HR practices and of an innovative climate on their innovative behaviors. We found that employee perceptions of a compensation system are negatively related to IWB, and that employee perceptions of information sharing and supportive supervision are positively related to IWB. The effect of perceptions of information sharing and training and development on IWB are moderated by an innovative climate, in such a way that information sharing has a stronger effect on IWB and training and development a weaker one. Managers can stimulate innovative behavior by investing in information sharing, supportive supervision, and establishing an innovative climate.     

Where hukou status matters: analyzing the linkage between supervisor perceptions of HR practices and employee work engagement

This paper highlights the interaction between intended human resource (HR) practices as perceived by supervisors and status similarity between supervisors and employees as a key source of variation in employee work engagement among 298 employees reporting to 54 supervisors at a luxury Chinese hotel. Using a multi-level, process-oriented approach to examine the relationship between intended HR practices by supervisors and engagement as perceived by employees, we show (1) that the interaction of supervisor perceptions of HR practices and supervisor–subordinate hukou (place of origin) status similarity is positively related to employee reports of Leader–member exchange (LMX), HR practices and work engagement; (2) that the interaction of supervisor perceptions of HR practices and hukou status similarity influences employee perceptions of HR practices through LMX; and (3) that the interaction of supervisor perceptions of HR practices and hukou status similarity influences work engagement through employee perceptions of LMX and HR practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Translating corporate social performance into financial performance: exploring the moderating role of high-performance work practices

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) in helping to translate corporate social performance (CSP) into corporate financial performance (CFP). We employ arguments from the behavioral view of human resource management to highlight the vertical connection between a firm's proclivity for CSP and the management practices it adopts. Furthermore, we examine the moderating influence of HPWPs on the CSP–CFP linkage. Results suggest that HPWPs moderate the relationship between CSP and financial outcomes, and suggest that human resource practices may play an important role in enhancing a positive CSP–CFP relationship by helping to vertically align the behaviors of employees with the values and orientation of the organization.     

Work–family conflict,family satisfaction and employee well‐being: a comparative study of Australian and Indian social workers

Work‐to‐family conflict and family‐to‐work conflict have been widely investigated as antecedents of well‐being in various employee groups. However, these studies have largely been performed in Western countries, and only a few studies have investigated the phenomenon using both Western and non‐Western samples. The present study contributes to the literature by investigating work–family conflict experiences of social workers in Australia and India. More specifically, it explores the impact of work‐to‐family conflict and family‐to‐work conflict on well‐being and the mediating role of family satisfaction in this relationship. Our findings reveal the direct negative effects of work‐to‐family conflict on well‐being and family satisfaction in both groups and of family‐to‐work conflict on well‐being of Indian social workers. There is evidence that family satisfaction mediates work–family conflict and well‐being relationships in both samples. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for HRM policies in social service agencies of both countries.     

High-performance HR practices and OCB: a cross-level investigation of a causal path

This study investigates the relationships between high-performance human resource (HR) practices and individual outcome variables from a cross-level perspective. It also identifies the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between psychological climate and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Drawing on a sample of 576 employees from 11 manufacturing plants in Taiwan, our results show that psychological climate perceptions are positively and significantly associated with job satisfaction and OCB, and job satisfaction mediates the relationship between psychological climate perceptions and OCB at the individual level. At the plant level, high-performance HR practices have a positive and significant relationship only with job satisfaction. The theoretical and managerial implications and contributions of these findings are discussed.     

The effects of family-friendly practices and gender discrimination on job attitudes: the moderating role of supervisor support

This study examined the effects of family-friendly practices and gender discrimination on female employees' job attitudes and the moderating role of supervisor support. The results of our analysis, based on a sample of 1556 female employees in Korea, indicate that family-friendly practices and workplace environments reflecting gender discrimination are significantly related to their job satisfaction and workplace benefits stress. In addition, supervisor support moderated the effects of family-friendly practices and workplace environments reflecting gender discrimination on Korean female employees' job satisfaction and work stress. These results suggest that perceived organizational support has considerable influence on the job attitudes of Korean female employees through its interactions with supervisor support. Therefore, firms should consider the ‘fit’ between organizational support and supervisory roles to enhance Korean female employees' job satisfaction and to reduce their work stress.     

Climate for conflict management,exposure to workplace bullying and work engagement: a moderated mediation analysis

The present study investigates a potential preventive factor in relation to workplace bullying. Specifically, we examine how climate for conflict management (CCM) may be related to less bullying, increased work engagement, as well as whether CCM is a moderator in the bullying engagement relationship. The study was based on a cross-sectional survey among employees in a transport company (N = 312). Hypotheses were tested simultaneously in a moderated mediation analysis which showed that bullying and job engagement were related (H1), CCM was related to less reports of bullying (H2), CCM was related to work engagement (H3) and that CCM was indirectly related to job engagement through bullying (H4), but only when CCM was weak (H5). That is, CCM moderated the relationship between bullying and work engagement in that this relationship only existed when CCM was low. The present study contributes to theory within this research field by showing that organizational measures may not only prevent bullying, but may also affect how employees react when subjected to bullying. Furthermore, the effect of climate in relation to bullying may be down to the narrow bandwidth facet of CCM. The study informs employers how they may act to prevent bullying while also reducing the potential negative outcomes of those cases of bullying that inevitably will show up from time to time.     

Discretionary HR practices and proactive work behaviour: the mediation role of affective commitment and the moderation roles of PSM and abusive supervision

Proactive work behaviour may drive public employees to proactively improve public service quality. This research seeks an insight into the role of discretionary human resource (HR) practices in fostering proactive work behaviour among public employees through the mediation mechanism of affective commitment. The data for the research variables were harvested from public employees and their direct managers from local governments at the district level in Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam. The research results shed light on the positive association between discretionary HR practices and public employees’ proactive work behaviour, which was mediated by affective commitment. The research results also supported the role of public service motivation (PSM) as an intensifier and abusive supervision as a negative moderator for the effect of discretionary HR practices on affective commitment and proactive work behaviour. Our research model integrates discretionary HRM and proactive work behaviour research streams into public management literature.     

The adoption of high performance work practices in small businesses: the influence of markets,business characteristics and HR expertise

This paper explores the extent to which the adoption of high performance work practices (HPWPs) in UK small businesses with less than 50 employees is associated with the nature of the market in which the business operates, its business characteristics and its access to HR expertise. Drawing on data from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey, the analysis suggests that, where market-related factors are concerned, the uptake of HPWPs is higher in small businesses that require a highly skilled workforce but is unrelated to either the degree of market competition or the presence of large dominant customers. In terms of access to HR expertise, the analysis finds greater use of HPWPs in small businesses that have contact with external sources of HR advice via membership of business advisory networks or Investors in People (IiP) recognition. However, uptake is unrelated to the presence of personnel/HR specialists. Overall, the findings suggest that rather than depicting employment practices in small businesses as the inevitable consequence of market circumstances, encouraging greater small business involvement with business advisory networks and IiP may have the potential to increase the adoption of HPWPs in the sector.     

Supervisor and coworker support: a source congruence approach to buffering role conflict and physical stressors

The buffering effects of supervisor support on the stressor–strain relationship have proven elusive in prior research (Beehr, Farmer, Glazer, Gudanowski and Nair (2003), ‘The Enigma of Social Support and Occupational Stress: Source Congruence and Gender Role Effects,’ Journal of Occupational and Health Psychology, 8, 220–231). We built on emerging work on source congruence and conservation of resource theory to test a series of hypotheses intended to clarify these mixed findings. Using a sample of 768 employees from 45 organizations in North America, results from moderated regression analyses, showed that the effects of supervisor support on the stressor–strain relationship depended on source congruence. In accordance with our predictions, although we found buffering effects for the physical stressors–strain relationship, we found a reverse buffering effect for the role conflict–strain relationship. These differential buffering effects did not emerge when considering coworker support. We discuss the implications of our results for shedding light on the mixed evidence regarding buffering work stressors reported in prior research.     

Management of paradox: a comparative study of managerial practices in Korean and Japanese firms

Numerous scholars are recognizing that paradoxes are indigenous to organizational functioning. Managers too are being challenged to do more and spend less, and delegate and know the details. As a corporate objective, neither efficiency nor innovation can be sacrificed. In this paper, we have attempted to capture this emerging trend empirically. Defining management of paradox as ‘managerial practices that realize the simultaneous accomplishment of multiple strategic objectives that are seemingly or actually incompatible,’ this paper explores how organizational capabilities of effectively dealing with paradox can be acquired. Specifically, the paper attempts to address two organizational mechanisms: decision-making structure and human resource practices (HRPs). Propositions deduced from the existing literature were tested with the data collected from 103 Korean firms and 136 Japanese firms. The data indicated that firms have to be multi-talented. It was found that firms that successfully accomplished innovation and efficiency objectives simultaneously were those that were able to mix paradoxical organizational practices: decentralization and control on the one hand and the three HRPs on the other. It was also found that the Japanese corporations were more apt in deploying paradoxical managerial practices than the Korean counterparts. The paper concludes by discussing a few theoretical implications.     

Analyzing the effects of diversity perceptions and shared leadership on emotional conflict: a dynamic approach

Recent attempts to incorporate time to the study of groups reveal temporal factors can impact group functioning. However, studies of group diversity to date are largely cross-sectional and capture the relationship between diversity and its outcomes at one point in time. The present research attempts to overcome this shortcoming by analyzing the interplay between diversity and emotional conflict across time. At the same time, the current study aims to establish an empirical basis for the commonly stated assertion in intergroup relations research that the basis of categorization shifts from surface-level attributes to deep-level attributes as groups mature. Finally, by incorporating shared leadership, this study aims to suggest a contextual lever that can help groups avoid potential disadvantages of diversity. In a longitudinal study of 301 individuals from 81 groups, the present study found that surface-level diversity was negatively linked to emotional conflict in the beginning and the end of groups' interaction whereas deep-level diversity was positively linked to emotional conflict in the middle of groups' interaction. Shared leadership was found to moderate the relationship between diversity and emotional conflict. Implications for human resource management are discussed.