The impact of high-performance human resource practices on the research performance and career success of academics in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

PurposeThis paper explores the impact of high-performance human resource practices (HPHRPs) on the research performance and career success of academics.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data was collected from 586 faculty members in the five largest public universities in Saudi Arabia.FindingsThe findings suggest that the HPHRPs of internal mobility and recognition had a strong impact on faculty members' career success and that these relationships were mediated by research performance. In addition, the study also found that the HPHRPs of training and recognition positively influenced research performance, while, surprisingly, the HPHRPs of participation in decision-making were found to have a negative effect on faculty members' research performance.Originality/valueThis study is original in combining research in human resource management (HRM) and career studies to develop a model that explains academic research performance and career success from the lens of HR practices. The results also provide leaders in Saudi Arabia's public higher education sector with empirical data on the impact of HPHRPs on academic research performance and career success.

Research in Pesantren-based Higher Education: Exploring The Factors Improving Lecture's Research Performace

“…Their perception of research culture and academic leadership implementation in their respective institutions negatively led to low research performance. The effectiveness of HPWP in boosting research performance is in accordance with previous studies (Perdomo-ortiz et al, 2020;Alshaikhmubarak et al, 2020), stated that HPWP implementation effectively increased lecturers' research productivity and performance at higher education and ultimately determined their academic career success. Boxall (2018) considered HPWP as a strategy that possibly integrated HRM practices with organizational vision.…”

“…Specifically, high-performance work practice (HPWP) is widely implemented in the higher educational context due to its effectiveness in encouraging numerous positive work outcomes (Boxall, 2018). Some studies, such as Perdomo-ortiz et al, (2020) and Alshaikhmubarak et al, (2020), found that HPWP effectively increased research productivity and performance and further determined academic career success.…”

Contemporary Career Theories in the Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Critical Literature Review

“…The fundamental principles of traditional career development would make employees dependent on their employers for career development and advancement. This can be risky, especially when the organization is going through a financial crisis because usually, the preferred option would be to lay off its employees and cut some jobs (Alshaikhmubarak et al, 2020). Also, organizations have been influenced by different environmental changes, including the growth of competition in the global market and rapid technological advancement, and organizations relying more on outsourcing and temporary employees have impacted the traditional relationship between organization and employees (Sullivan and Baruch, 2009).…”

“…For example, the concept of "forced entrepreneurship" emerged (Bagdadli and Gianecchini, 2019;Richtel and Wortham, 2009), and individuals became independent of their organizations in terms of employment (De Vos et al, 2011), creating their careers by establishing their own businesses (Sullivan and Baruch, 2009). Those changes have influenced the concept of the career, making traditional career pathways, including upward career progression and long-term job security, much more difficult than before (Alshaikhmubarak et al, 2020). The changes that impact the employer-employee relationship have also transformed the career system from a linear career orientation to a more multidirectional orientation (Baruch, 2004b).…”

“…With diminished stability and predictability due to the rapid changes in the business world, scholars realized that traditional career models no longer adequately explained the realities for many individuals, and new dynamic theories arose (Alshaikhmubarak et al, 2020).…”