Does HRM fit really matter to citizenship and task performance?

Abstract

PurposeThe paper seeks to provide a theoretical foundation and empirical evidence on the impact of HRM fit on citizenship and task performance (CTP) of employees.Design/methodology/approachA range of recently published articles were critically reviewed in order to argue that HRM fit is useful to address issues of substandard CTP. A hybrid type of research design was adopted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires and interviews. Analysis is based on 433 survey responses gathered from employees and managers of seven manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka.FindingsThe findings provide evidence not only to confirm the HRM fit hypothesis (which states that the higher the HRM fit, the greater the performance) but also to negate the said hypothesis in relation to some HRM practices. It is also revealed that HRM fit does not matter to the majority of HRM practices examined, and that HRM fit is more important for citizenship performance (CP) than for task performance (TP).Research limitations/implicationsThe findings represent the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector sample only. The selection of HRM practices was limited to the HRM typology of Schuler and Jackson. The extent to which person‐organisation fit may change for individuals over the course of their employment was not considered.Practical implicationsThe paper addresses the issue of transferability of HRM practices and aids practitioners to assess the impact of person‐organization fit on specific HRM practices. The relationship between the HR planning and control system and CTP sends signals for practitioners to consider the incorporation of HRM fit concept in selection, training and development, and the design of HRM systems.Originality/valueThe paper presents an exploration of the HRM fit concept and CTP and provides empirical evidence in a developing country context. An innovative analytical approach that addresses several person‐organisation fit methodological issues is presented, which could contribute to the current knowledge and future research.