THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON HR PRACTICES DESIGNED TO IMPROVE ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN BAHRAIN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed examination of how staff in higher education institutions in Bahrain perceive that organisational success is positively and significantly related to a range of HR Practices and in particular to explore the role of organisational culture as a mediating variable. The link between HR practices and staff perception of organisational performance (and mediating variables) was researched through a quantitative survey and a PLS-SEM analysis was used to test a structural model of the hypothesized links between variables. In particular in discussing the results this paper focuses on a detailed exploration of cultural issues using qualitative data derived from the survey instruments used in the research. The quantitative results confirm the validity of the structural model linking HR Practices and staff perceptions of organisational performance, and the exploration of qualitative data supports the literature which contends that Islamic religious practices and values and national and socio-ethnographic cultural influences are important when considering the impact of implementing strategic HR practices in private universities operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The analysis helps to inform HR theorists in their exploration of the ‘black box’ in the link between specific and ‘bundles’ of HR practices and organisational performance. It is also of value and interest to practitioners in providing a better understanding of the manner in which HR practices are introduced and the cultural context which impact on the degree to which they may be successful. Keywords Islamic Work Ethic, HRM and Organisational Performance; Cultural Issues related to HRM; Bahrain; Private Universities