HR attributions and the dual commitment of outsourced IT workers

Abstract

PurposeOutsourced information technology (IT) workers establish two different employment relationships: one with the outsourcing company that hires them and another with the client organization where they work daily. The attitudes that an employee has towards both organisations may be influenced by the interpretations or attributions that employees make about the reasons behind the human resource (HR) management practices implemented by the outsourcing company. This paper aims to propose that commitment‐focused HR attributions are positively and control‐focused HR attributions are negatively related to the affective commitment to the client organization, through the affective commitment to the outsourcing company.Design/methodology/approachThese hypotheses were tested with a sample of 158 highly skilled outsourced employees from the IT sector. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe paper's hypotheses were supported. It can conclude that, if an employee interprets the HR practices as part of a commitment‐focused strategy of the outsourcing company, it has clear attitudinal benefits. The study found that the relationship between HR attributions and the commitment to the client organization is mediated by the commitment to the outsourcing company.Practical implicationsThese findings hint at the critical role of outsourcing companies in managing the careers of these highly marketable employees.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to apply the concept of HR attributions to contingent employment literature in general and to outsourced IT workers in particular.

The Link between HR Attributions and Employees’ Turnover Intentions

“…Their study showed that the employees' perception towards the purpose of certain HR practices would influence their attitudes. Similar results were also seen in Fontinha et al (2012), with data derived from 158 outsourced IT workers in Portugal; and Sanders and Yang (2015) who did an experimental study with 354 employees from Dutch health care organizations.…”

“…The concept of HR attributions was first introduced by Nishii et al in 2008 and have been studied by only a few researchers so far (e.g. Fontinha et al 2012;Chen and Wang 2014;Sanders and Yang 2015). HR attributions refer to the employees' causal explanation or perception of why certain HR practices are adopted by the management within their organization.…”

High potential programs and employee outcomes

“…Empirical research demonstrates that when employees attribute the implementation of HR practice to external factors, there is little or no effect on employee attitudes and behaviours (Koys, 1988;Nishii et al, 2008). However, when employees attribute the implementation of such practices to internal factors, it is more likely to affect their attitudes and behaviours (Fontinha et al, 2012;Koys, 1988;Nishii et al, 2008). Internal attributions are also multidimensional.…”

“…In fact, employees can attribute HR practices favourably or unfavourably depending on their perceptions as to why specific HR practices are used. Research suggests that employees make external and internal attributions about the implementation of HR practices (Fontinha, Chambel, & De Cuyper, 2012;Koys, 1988;Nishii et al, 2008;Shantz, Arevshatian, Alfes, & Bailey, 2016). External attributions are when employees attribute the implementation of HR practices as a pressure from outside beyond the control of management (such as a union).…”

Implementing HRM Systems: The Role of Employees' Co-Production Behavior and HRM Attributions

“…Although several studies found that employees' HRM attributions are significantly related to motivational states such as affective commitment (English & Chalon, 2011;Fontinha, Chambel, & De Cuyper, 2012) and job satisfaction , it remains unclear whether employee attributions of HRM motivate employees to engage in HRM coproduction.…”