HR systems and leadership attachment affecting idea generation and implementation: An experiment and two-source multi-level study

Saša Batistič,Renata Kenda,Maruša Premru,Matej Černe

doi:10.1016/j.emj.2021.09.005

Abstract

This paper focuses on the direct and interactive influence of leadership attachment styles (secure, anxious, and avoidant) and commitment HR system on two distinct stages of the individual innovation process—idea generation and implementation. We test our hypotheses in two studies. An experimental study of undergraduate students establishes a positive effect of secure attachment on idea implementation. The interplay between commitment HR system and avoidant attachment marginally predict idea generation; commitment HR system and neither secure nor anxious attachment predict implementation. A multisource multi-level field study in three EU-based private firms replicates the direct role of commitment HR system in stimulating idea implementation (but not generation) and suggests that secure attachment fosters both generation and implementation, whereas anxious attachment hinders both. Moderation analyses support only a marginal interaction between commitment HR system and secure attachment in fostering idea generation. We discuss theoretical, practical, and future research implications.

Highlights

Human resource (HR) management underpins people as one of the main sources of firms’ competitive advantage and examines the role of different employee groups as well as approaches in managing them (Barney, 1991; Purcell, 1999)
Our study first tests the propositions put forth by this conceptual paper empirically, and goes beyond their theorizing by focusing explicitly on the commitment HR system. We focus on this HR configuration and combine it with three attachment styles that employees develop concerning their leaders as attachment figure to propose that their cross-level interactions have different roles in predicting two different elements of employees’ innovative work behavior: idea generation and idea implementation behaviors
We explore an overlooked concept in the HR literature, individual perceptions of leadership attachment style (Cerne et al, 2018), and relate it to very important strategic outcomes—creativity and innovation (Liu et al, 2017)—and how these relationships can be influenced by the formal organizational context in place through a commitment HR system

Summary

Introduction

Human resource (HR) management underpins people as one of the main sources of firms’ competitive advantage and examines the role of different employee groups as well as approaches in managing them (Barney, 1991; Purcell, 1999). To maintain or gain a competitive advantage, organizations do need to hire the em ployees with the right knowledge, skills, and abilities, and need to be able to capitalize on those with the help of HR systems The latter are described as distinctive systems of interchangeable HR practices for obtaining, retaining, and developing employees with a specific purpose, in processes that might allow the organization to maintain or gain competitive advantages—such as by fostering employee creativity and innovation (e.g., the generation and implementation of new and useful ideas; Liu et al, 2017). The literature proposes that idea generation and implementation may be dependent on individual differences, percep tions, and interpersonal relationships (Anderson et al, 2014; Baer, 2012) and on the formal context in place (Liden & Antonakis, 2009; Liu et al, 2017), which leads to two issues

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