Implementing commitment HR practices: line manager attributions and employee reactions

Abstract

Findings of positive relationships between a set of well-configured commitment human resource practices and organizational performance outcomes are well documented in the strategic human resource management (HRM) literature. However, several recent empirical studies have found significant gaps between the HR practices that organizations report using and employees’ experiences of those HR practices, raising a question about the extent to which organizationally intended HR practices are effectively implemented within an organization. Drawing on attribution theory, we address this problem by focusing on the role of frontline managers (FLMs) in implementing commitment HR practices. Data collected from 195 employees in 61 work groups in two time periods showed that FLMs’ commitment HR attributions affected their implementation of commitment HR practices, which in turn affected employees’ perceptions of HR practice implementation and the average level of organizational citizenship behavior in their work group. The findings contribute to the strategic HRM literature by demonstrating the significant role of FLMs’ attributions in attaining the unrealized potential benefits of commitment HR practices through the effective implementation of commitment HR practices.