Human Resource Management Practices and Employee Job Performance:The Mediation of Job Embeddedness

Abstract

We investigated the processes by which human resource management (HRM) practices embed employees in organizations, which in turn, enhance employee job performance. In particular, following the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) model of HRM, we sought to: 1) test the AMO model of HRM-embeddedness components relationships; 2) investigate the effects of embeddedness components on job performance; and 3) assess the embeddedness components as mediators of HRM-job performance relationships. As predicted, the results demonstrate the role of ability, motivation and opportunity-enhancing HR practices as direct contributing factors to the creation and development of embeddedness, and the improvement of job performance. Embeddedness components mediated the AMO model of HRM-job performance relationships. The results suggest that organizations can proactively enhance embeddedness through implementing appropriate HRM practices, and should respond in a timely manner to indications of low or reduced embeddedness before it culminates in behaviors such as deteriorating job performance.