Line Managers’ Performance of Strategic Human Resource Roles: Creating Value, Not Rhetoric

Abstract

Line managers’ (LMs) role has been restructured in modern business as they are undertaking the responsibilities of key human resource management (HRM) functions. Although HRM roles of LMs have got wide recognition in academic research, factors influencing their performance of strategic HRM roles remained relatively under developed, especially in Bangladesh. Based on the perspective of Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, we propose that LMs’ strategic HR roles performance are influenced by their ability, motivation, and opportunity. A survey with self-administered questionnaire was applied for collecting data from a sample of 170 participants drawn from LMs employed at private banking organizations in Bangladesh. The technique of partial least squares structural equation modelling was utilized for testing the study model. The findings highlighted that LMs’ ability and motivation significantly related to their performance of strategic HR roles while opportunity provided to LMs had non-significant relationship with their strategic HR roles. Despite the findings produced mixed support, this research has key implications for practitioners as well as academicians. The present research is believed to serve as a standard in comprehending the AMO factors influencing LMs’ execution of strategic HR roles which remains largely unexplored in the Bangladesh context.