The efficacy of high performance work practices in the Middle East: evidence from Algerian firms

Abstract

Although there is developing evidence on the effectiveness of global HRM best practices in emerging and developing economies, little is known about the efficacy of those practices in the Middle East. This study examines the impact of High Performance Work Practices (HPWP) on both employee and organizational outcomes in Algerian firms. The results of a firm-level survey show that while HPWP are positively associated with employee work attitudes and motivations, this effect is not converted into organizational level outcomes. The results are discussed, and implications for future research are offered.

High performance HRM and establishment performance in Pakistan: an empirical analysis

“…Shura or Consultation is the founding stone of Islamic Administration (Branine and Pollard, 2010), and Islam emphasizes co-operation and consultation in decision making (Abuznaid, 2006), potentially encouraging employee participation in Pakistani establishments (Mellahi and Budhwar, 2010;Ramdani et al, 2014). There is also, however, a tradition of paternalistic management and centralized decision making in Pakistani firms, leading to low employee autonomy and initiative (Iqbal, 2008).…”

“…Existing research on HRM in developing economies often downplays such links (Budhwar and Debrah, 2009;Ramdani et al, 2014).…”

“…Increased international economic competition, a lack of awareness and understanding of HR practices in indigenous firms, and a desire to assess if high-performance HR practices that emerged in Western countries can be applied in developing economies lie behind these studies (Budhwar and Debrah, 2009;Ramdani et al, 2014).…”

The Middle East context: an introduction

“…Here we report literature published in the field mainly after 2006 to avoid the duplication of information. In this regard, see the works of Al-Hamadi et al (2007), Khan (2011), Katou et al (2010) and Khan et al (2015) on Oman; Tlaiss and Elamin (2015) on Saudi Arabia; Namazie and Frame (2007), Soltani and Liao (2010) and Manafi and Subramaniam (2015) on Iran; Omair (2010) and Singh and Sharma (2015) on the UAE; Altarawneh and Aldehayyat (2011) and Syed et al (2014) on Jordan; Tzafair et al (2007) on Israel; Leat and Al-Kot (2007) and Mostafa and Gould-Williams (2014) on Egypt; Ramdani et al (2014) on Algeria; and Zaitouni et al (2011) on Kuwait. The focus of the above-mentioned works has been to highlight the emerging patterns of HRM and related systems along with their key determinants in respective countries.…”

“…Other themes emerging from the literature include the effects of regulations on HRM in the Saudi Arabia private sector (Mellahi, 2007) and on employment policy in Kuwait (AlEnizi, 2002), the impact of HRM on organisational commitment in the banking sector in Kuwait (Zaitouni et al, 2011), the efficacy of high-performance work practices in Algerian firms (Ramdani et al, 2014), the impact of HRM practices and corporate entrepreneurship on firm performance in Turkish firms (Kaya, 2006), talent management strategies in the UAE (Singh and Sharma, 2015), the impact of cultural value orientations on preferences for HRM (Aycan et al, 2007), HRM and labour productivity in Libyan oil companies (Mohamed et al, 2015), HRM and innovation in the Iranian electronics industry (Manafi and Subramaniam, 2015) and career development in Oman (Khan et al, 2015).…”