High-involvement HRM practices and innovative work behavior among production-line workers: mediating role of employee's functional flexibility

Abstract

PurposeFollowing “AMO” framework and resource-based theory (RBT), the current study empirically examines the relationships between high-involvement human resource management (HI HRM) practices, employee functional flexibility (FF) and innovative work behavior (IWB). Furthermore, the mediating effect of FF has also been tested.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive statistics, correlation, hierarchical regression analysis, baron and Kenny, PROCESS Macro and Sobel Test approach were used on a sample of 894 employees of manufacturing concerns.FindingsFindings revealed a direct effect of HI HRM practices on FF and IWB. In addition, the results confirm that FF positively mediates between HI HRM practices and IWB. Furthermore, three dimensions of HI HRM practices, i.e. ability-enhancing (AE), motivation-enhancing (ME) and opportunity-enhancing (OE) HRM practices also predicted FF and IWB.Practical implicationsThis study not only offers the empirical evidence to validate the findings of past researchers, but also provide insight how HI HRM practices flourish the mechanism of FF in manufacturing concerns. Furthermore, this study highlighted some interesting facts that should be meaningful options for HR managers to enhance the level of employees' FF and IWB.Originality/valueAlthough the empirical evidence is well established that HI HRM practices have a substantial contribution for organizational performance, however, there is lack of studies that empirically examine the associations among HI HRM practices, employee's competencies and behaviors, as well as the mechanism through which HI HRM practices affect work related innovative behavior. Finally, in distinguishing from the past studies, this study explores HI HRM practices as an important predictor of FF in addressing the IWB.

Can human resource flexibility disentangle innovative work behavior among hospitality employees? The roles of harmonious passion and regulatory foci

“…With this finding, our inquiry advances the strand of HR flexibility research, which has predominantly focused on organizational outcomes (Úbeda-García et al , 2018; Way et al , 2018), regardless of the potential of HR flexibility in promoting adaptation and innovation at the individual level (Do et al , 2016). Our research also expands the stream of research on the HRM-employee innovative behavior linkage, which has drawn less attention to HR flexibility than other types of HR practices (Bos-Nehles and Veenendaal, 2019; Rehman et al , 2019; Yasir and Majid, 2020). It further advances HRM research in the hospitality discipline, which has given more attention to employee innovative behavior in recent years (Kloutsiniotis and Mihail, 2020).…”

“…As reflected in Bos-Nehles et al ’s (2017) review of the human resource management (HRM)-innovative work behavior relationship and in recent works on this relationship (Bos-Nehles and Veenendaal, 2019; Rehman et al , 2019; Yasir and Majid, 2020), research in this stream has drawn the most attention to HR practices other than HR practice flexibility. Furthermore, Hon and Lui’s (2016) review of employee innovation in the hospitality sector demonstrates a focus on the predictive role of some specific HR practices such as participative culture and task interdependence, as well as calls for inquiries into other HR practices that can foster innovative behavior.…”

Supervisor Leadership and Subordinates’ Innovative Work Behaviors: Creating a Relational Context for Organizational Sustainability

“…Organizational success is grounded in each individual's creative ideas and innovative behaviors, especially when the organization undergoes turbulent environmental changes [4,5]. Being creative in work behavior is no longer demanded only for management or special teams but for almost every employee [6,7]. Therefore, understanding organizational contexts to trigger innovative behaviors from employees becomes more important for organizational sustainability [8,9].…”

Be in Your Element: The Joint Effect of Human Resource Management Strength and Proactive Personality on Employee Creativity

“…From the perspective of context-centered approach ( Zhou and Hoever, 2014 ), employee creativity highly depends on organizational contexts, such as leadership supervision ( Liu et al, 2012 ), leadership style ( Gong et al, 2009 ), and the value and culture of uncertainty avoidance and justice ( Shalley and Gilson, 2004 ). Since individuals first appraise features of HR system as positive, neutral, or stressful at work ( Johnston, 2018 ), HR practices (i.e., selection, training, evaluation, and rewards; Shalley and Gilson, 2004 ; Yasir and Majid, 2020 ) are crucial at fostering innovation processes in companies by influencing creativity ( Acosta-Prado et al, 2020 ). Although scholars have emphasized different characteristics ( Shalley and Gilson, 2004 ) and outcomes ( Yasir and Majid, 2020 ) while describing HRM systems, the most significant characteristic is human resource management strength (HRMS; that is distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency of HR practices), and the most exciting outcome is at the individual level, i.e., employee creativity.…”