The Influence of HIHRM Practices on Employee Attitude and Behavior

Abstract

In the higher education sector, similar to other service sectors, competitive advantage is gained through human resources. Effectiveness of human resources is gained through proper HRM practices, in particular, the high involvement HRM practices (HIHRM).Little is known about how HIHRM practices link to each type of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), namely altruism, conscientiousness, sportsmanship, courtesy, and civic virtue. The paper addresses this shortcoming while also advancing knowledge on work engagement as a potential mediator. The paper proposes that work engagement mediatesthe relationship between HIHRM practices and OCB.Data were collected from 160 academicians through self-administered questionnaires and the model was tested using SPSS. The findings revealed that HIHRM practices had a positive influence on each type of OCB. Work engagement was found to have a positive mediating effect on the relationship between HIHRM practices and the five dimensions of OCB. This study contributes to the literature on HRM practices for higher educational institutions and at the same time indicates useful practices for higher educational institutions in improving the OCB and work engagement among academicians.