This paper aims to explore the relationship between human resource management practices and employee performance in Malaysian private university. This paper proposed networking behavior as mediator between HRM-employee performance linkages. To develop this conceptual model, the paper reviews previous literature on HRM, networking behavior and employee performance. This paper proposes a theoretical model of HRM-employee performance linkage with networking behavior as mediator that will better explain the relationships. It argues that HRM practices namely as recruitment and selection practices, and compensation and benefits practices may influence employee's networking behavior and their performance. At the same time, networking behavior would also affect employee performance. Each of these variables is explored and looking for possibility on the role of networking behavior as mediator. Two hundred and forty-two usable questionnaires are collected to empirically test the hypothesis using IBM SPSS Statistics 23 software and Smart Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) version 3. This paper concludes that recruitment and selection practices, and networking behaviour have significant relationship towards employee performance. Furthermore, networking behavior did not mediate the relationships between recruitment and selection practices, and compensation and benefits practices on employee performance. Therefore, these results should assist organization in providing insight towards managing employees of Malaysian private universities.

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