The state of HRM in the Middle East: Challenges and future research agenda

Fostering eco-friendly excellence: exploring the relationship between green human resource practices and organizational environmental performance as perceived by nurses: a cross-sectional study

AIM

This study investigates the association between green human resource practices and organizational environmental performance among nurses at Alexandria Main University Hospital.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive design following STROBE guidelines examined the relationship between green human resource practices and organizational environmental performance among nurses.

METHODS AND TOOLS

Staff nurses employed in all inpatient medical, surgical, and critical care units at Alexandria Main University Hospital (n = 745) comprised the participants, representing all target demographics. The nurses filled out the Organizational Environmental Performance Scale and the Green Human Resources Practices Questionnaire. Age, gender, education, and nursing experience were among the demographic details gathered. The data collection period was three months, from February 1st, 2023, to May 1st, 2023. Every query from the nurses was addressed, and justifications were provided. The data was analyzed using statistical techniques such as stepwise regression, ANOVA, t-tests, and Pearson correlation.

RESULTS

60.7% of the studied nurses perceived low Green Human Resources Practices (63.27 ± 8.14). Furthermore, the majority of the nurses who participated in the study (90.1%) believe that environmental performance is at a moderate level, with a mean score of 73.86 ± 15.54. According to linear regression, the Green Human Resources Practices of the nurses under study can account for about 17.5% of the explained variance of their perceived environmental performance; this is a significant model (F = 157.939 & p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of the perceived adoption of Green Human Resources Practices in supporting environmental performance. Addressing demographic factors and fostering a supportive work environment is crucial for optimizing organizational environmental performance.

NURSING IMPLICATIONS

Insights from this study can enlighten battered interventions and policy pronouncements to augment nursing practice, organizational growth, and healthcare outcomes in Egypt. Green HR practices have consequences for nursing, such as enabling nurses to spearhead sustainability projects, encouraging environmentally friendly patient care techniques, and raising employee involvement through incentives and training. Nurses can make a substantial contribution to better environmental performance in healthcare settings by incorporating these practices. In the end, this promotes a sustainable culture that is advantageous to patients and the environment.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

Not applicable.

Work from home practices as corporate strategy- an integrative review

The Covid 19 pandemic led to major changes at the individual, organisational and institutional levels of policy, productive functions, and organising. During Covid 19 morbidity, public institutions enforced social isolation, mandatory self-isolation, quarantines, and administrative regulatory lockdowns, which led to a movement away from the physical, material world and into an all-consuming digital universe. With growing interest in work-from-home (WFH) opportunities, this article provides an integrative review of 107 papers. It comprises the bibliometric analysis and manual review of the articles, on the basis of which we present an elaborative discussion and agenda for future research. According to the analysis, WFH looks a tad of a double-edged sword in that it may have major but unintended repercussions for institutions, and organizations as well as hidden, positive as well as negative consequences for individuals/employees. One of the significant insight from our analysis was the absence of HR function's strategic or operational input or oversight during corporate WFH strategies. We suggest several theoretical frameworks for further developing, theorizing, and empirically testing various aspects of WFH. Further, we recognise that WFH is becoming increasingly visible as a result of the pandemic scenario and significant technical advancements, which must be reflected in the research. Finally, because WFH represents a significant disruption in how organizations produce work and manage it, we propose employee and managerial consequences as future research agendas.

R, Prabhu N. Is knowledge hiding in higher education a political phenomenon? An explanatory sequential approach to explore non-linear and three-way interaction effects

Purpose

This study addresses a central research question: Is individuals’ propensity to hide knowledge a “political phenomenon” among researchers in the Indian higher education institutions? Drawing upon social exchange and uncertainty management theories, the authors examine how a three-way interaction effect of perceptions of organizational politics, political will and political skill contributes to knowledge hiding. In addition, this study aims to develop a nuanced understanding of the knowledge hiding phenomenon in the Indian higher education context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a mixed-method study design with an explanatory sequential approach. The authors gathered data through a cross-sectional survey of 286 researchers (Study 1) followed by two focus group discussions (Study 2) involving 13 academic researchers from five Indian universities. The sample includes full-time faculty members, postgraduate and full-time doctoral students engaged in research.

Findings

The results of Study 1 indicate that researchers’ perceptions of organizational politics positively relate to their knowledge hiding. The findings of this study also suggest that the positive relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and knowledge hiding turns negative for individuals with high political will and high political skill. The focus group discussions (Study 2) explore significant predictors of knowledge hiding. This study unveils various characteristics of knowledge, knowledge hider, knowledge seeker and interpersonal dynamics as the key drivers of knowledge hiding in Indian academia.

Originality/value

The significant contributions of this study are to provide new insights into the relationship between organizational politics and knowledge hiding and to unravel the various factors that incite knowledge hiding among researchers in the Indian higher education context. This study is one among the few in the knowledge hiding literature to adopt a mixed-method research design with an explanatory sequential approach.

Psychological contract breach and emotional exhaustion among self-initiated expatriates: The role of social support and cultural orientation

Self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) face a unique set of challenges associated with working abroad without organizational sponsorship or support. A lack of clarity about mutual obligations and responsibilities can often lead to misunderstandings about the terms of the employment relationship and to perceptions of psychological contract breach. Drawing on a sample of self-initiated expatriates working in the United Arab Emirates, this study examines the relationship between psychological contract breach and emotional exhaustion exploring how culturally based value orientations and social support affect the relationship. Results indicate that individual-level cultural orientation can shape the responses of SIEs to perceived breaches and to its detrimental emotional effects. Individuals with a collectivist as opposed to an individualist orientation utilize more effectively social support from co-workers and supervisors and are less likely to be negatively affected by psychological contract breaches.

Do you want to retain your relevant knowledge? The role of contextual factors in the banking sector

Purpose

Retaining critical knowledge is relevant for all organizations, knowledge-intensive ones in particular. Failure to do so can, in the worst case, lead to an organization being unable to act. Acknowledging the role of context in this regard, the purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge retention (KR) in the banking sector of a developing country. A particular focus is placed on exploring various contextual factors that influence the retention of critical knowledge taking into consideration the setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers from private and public banks in Pakistan. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The findings suggest that the existence of a collectivist society, gender differences, few job opportunities, power distance and the late IT Boom are vital factors to be considered regarding KR in the setting studied. The findings are summarized in a conceptual framework that highlights critical factors of KR to be studied in a broader context and which are viewed as relevant for informing future research in this underdeveloped area of knowledge management (KM).

Research limitations/implications

The data were collected from a small number of individuals working in different banks in only one country. Future studies should consider research designs across multiple organizations involving more people representing different roles, functions and age groups.

Originality/value

Existing KM research has emphasized the role of context while research on KR is underdeveloped in this regard. By exploring different contextual factors this study advances current understanding in the KM domain.

Expatriates’ Embeddedness and Host Country Withdrawal Intention: A Social Exchange Perspective

In this study, we conceptualize the thus far little explored relationship between expatriate and host country as a form of social exchange governed by the norm of reciprocity. Drawing from social exchange theory and our analysis of 451 self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) living and working in the United Arab Emirates, we examine whether the degree of SIEs’ career and community embeddedness explains their host country withdrawal intention via enhanced perceived institutional trust and a more tolerant attitude toward workplace discrimination. Our results provide general support for our theoretical model and most of our hypotheses. In this way, our article makes three contributions. First, it suggests a novel way to conceptualize the relationship between SIEs and host country as a form of social exchange. Second, it differentiates between two dimensions of embeddedness and explicates how the two contribute to SIEs’ intentions to stay in the host country. Finally, the analysis theorizes and empirically tests two previously little explored mechanisms of enhanced institutional trust and a more tolerant attitude toward workplace discrimination through which SIEs’ host country embeddedness influences their host country withdrawal intentions.

Expatriates on the run: The psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on expatriates' host country withdrawal intentions

Extant research on expatriation in high-stress environments where stress is caused by ongoing and unexpected natural crises remains limited. Drawing on stress theory, in this study, we develop a model to examine the stress-inducing effects of intra-family concerns and workplace discrimination on the intentions to leave the host country among expatriates in the high-stress environment of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We also explore whether gender and the level of work adjustment moderate the propensity of intra-family health concerns and workplace discrimination to induce psychological stress. Based on our analysis of 381 expatriates living and working in the United Arab Emirates, we find the model to be generally supported. We also reveal an intriguing moderating effect of work adjustment on the relationship between intra-family health concerns and psychological stress. Overall, the analysis is among the first ones to shed light on the role of natural crises' stressors in defining expatriate outcomes.

CSR authenticity and micro-foundations of business: a systematic review

Purpose

The current market conditions are driving firms to plan, design and implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies that are true to the firms' real sense, i.e. authentic. Authenticity is an important aspect of micro-foundations of CSR in shaping the way social responsibility initiatives would impact the stakeholders including the customers, partners, current members of the organization and shareholders. This calls for a need to synthesize past research on CSR authenticity in order to propose directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study synthesizes relevant literature on CSR authenticity using systematic literature review (SLR) approach. In total, 34 research works were identified and examined to seek insights on CSR authenticity.

Findings

Findings of the study identified various miro-, meso- and macro-level determinants of CSR authenticity and different set of outcomes having implications on business and society. The study also proposes a comprehensive definition of CSR authenticity which was somewhat missing in existing literature.

Practical implications

The study provides strong theoretical and managerial implications. Particularly, the study provides directions for future research on the topic.

Originality/value

In this paper, a review of literature on CSR authenticity is currently missing.

The role of knowledge management in the tourism sector: a synthesis and way forward

Purpose

This study aims to explore and synthesize the role of knowledge management (KM) in tourism organizations (including micro, small, medium and large enterprises and destination management organizations).

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts systematic review methods to synthesize the role of KM in tourism from 90 journal articles.

Findings

This study identifies the prominent theories adopted to explore the relation and impact of KM in the tourism sector, the geographic distribution of the literature and thorough qualitative synthesis. This study identifies the critical research themes investigated and the outcome of KM applications. Finally, through reviews, this study identifies critical gaps in the literature and offer promising avenues to advance the KM in tourism research.

Originality/value

This is one of the few papers that comprehensively review the role of KM in the tourism industry and offer implications.

The impact of quality management practices on knowledge management processes: a study of a social security corporation in Jordan

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the impact of total quality practices on knowledge management (KM) processes across a Social Security Corporation (SSC) in Jordan and explore the best approach to improve KM processes using quality management.

Design/methodology/approach

This study followed a quantitative methodology: a conceptual model was developed based on an extensive review of the related literature; an online survey was developed and distributed using the SSC's intranet; and 384 surveys were completed and used in the statistical analysis. The two-stage approach of structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze and interpret the data, and was used to validate the conceptual model of this research.

Findings

Based on the statistical analysis it was found that six out of seven independent factors relating to quality management practices were confirmed to have a significant impact on the knowledge management processes (KMPs). Building upon the findings an agenda for improving KM processes using quality management is proposed.

Originality/value

This study was conducted in one organization namely the SSC because it is the largest public service organization in Jordan and offers compulsory services. The inclusion of other public organizations and companies may reflect different findings. Future research may collect data from other service industries to get a more comprehensive perspective from developing countries such as Jordan. Moreover, the population of this study included only the General Director, General Director Assistants, and Administrative Managers. Front-line employees were excluded from the data collection because the study was conducted solely from a managerial perspective.

High-performance work systems in an Arab Middle Eastern context: analysis from multisource data

Purpose

The absence of robust information on the application of Human resources managemnet (HRM) practices in the Arab Middle Eastern region has generated an urgent need to understand what and how HRM practices can be used to manage employees in the region. Therefore, building on the social exchange theory and job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this paper proposes a model to examine the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on employees' work-related outcomes, namely, job performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and innovative work behavior (IWB) in a non-industry setting in an Arab Middle Eastern context. In this model, work engagement was theorized to serve as an intervening mechanism among the aforementioned relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 210 academic staff working in the Palestinian higher education sector, together with evaluations from 30 supervisors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data.

Findings

The results indicate that HPWS positively affect employees' job performance, OCB and IWB. Moreover, work engagement partially mediates these relationships.

Practical implications

The results can be useful for managers in the Middle East pertaining to the role HPWS can play in boosting employees' job performance, OCB and IWB.

Originality/value

HRM research in Middle East, although limited, is mainly focused on examining the impact of HPWS on organizational rather than individual outcomes. In response to the scholarly call made on the strong need to conduct more HRM research in the Middle East (Budhwar et al., 2019), this research represents the first study that examines the impact of HPWS on in-role and extra-role performance in an Arab Middle Eastern context. Furthermore, the study contributes to the HRM research by relying on a sample from a non-industry sector rather than a sample from a manufacturing setting. Finally, this research is one of the few studies that explore the outcomes of HPWS in an academic setting through the intervening mechanism of work engagement.

Sacrifices from relocation to a foreign land: Multifaceted challenges experienced by self-initiated expatriate female nurses during cross-cultural adjustment

The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand the nature and multidimensional challenges of cross-cultural adjustment as experienced by female Malaysian self-initiated expatriates (SIE) working as registered nurses (RNs) in Saudi Arabia. In-depth interviews with twenty-two Malaysian SIE RNs provided rich data on their adjustment experiences. The resulting data were subjected to a qualitative content analysis using Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou's (Black et al., 1991) cross-cultural adjustment (CCA) model. The results show that the nurses faced several challenges. Five themes emerged: learning to speak Arabic, adapting to a confrontational communication style, facing new work practices, dealing with homesickness and loneliness, and adjusting to new gender norms at work and in public. This study contributes to our understanding of expatriate adjustment by providing new interpretations of the cultural challenges faced by female SIEs and the nature of their adjustment process. The results also support the literature on expatriation by highlighting the challenges of cultural adjustment and giving specific information on the conditions and constraints facing female RNs in Saudi Arabia, a subject that has received little critical attention so far.

Impact of Knowledge-Based HRM Practices on Organizational Performance

This paper examines the components of Intellectual Capital (IC) as mediating variables between knowledge-based Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and organizational performance. Therefore, integrating research channels in the field of human resource and organization performance. Factor analysis and path analysis have been performed to test the research model and finally parallel mediation effects of the mediators have been examined. Outcomes of the study showed that HRM practices lead to the creation of Intellectual Capital, and the relationship between HRM and performance is positively mediated by components of IC in context of Indian service sector. Additionally, in comparison, amongst the mediators, organizational capital is found to be the most contributing component followed by human and relational capital. The findings of this research will assist the HR managers and organizations in the composition and positioning of HRM practices and IC.

Relationship between perceived performance management system (PMS) effectiveness, work engagement and turnover intention: mediation by psychological contract fulfillment

Purpose

Performance management systems (PMSs) are critical for organizational success, but research is undecided on their constructive influence and the means through which they impact work engagement and turnover intention. This study aims to fill this gap by surmising psychological contract fulfillment as a mediator in the relationship between PMS effectiveness (PMSE) and employee outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a survey research design. Data were collected from 327 working professionals in India. The Statistical Package for Social Science Version 10.0 (SPSS 10.0) and the Analysis of Moments Structure (AMOS) 4.0 were used for data analyses.

Findings

The two-factor construct perceived PMSE was found to explain a larger variance in work engagement and turnover intention than the separate measures for its constituents PMS accuracy (PMSA) and PMS fairness (PMSF). Psychological contract fulfillment and work engagement were found to mediate the relationship between PMSE and turnover intention.

Research limitations/implications

The study broadens the field of research on PMS in important ways. It demonstrates that the two-factor construct PMSE has a larger influence on employee outcomes in comparison to its constituent individual measures PMSA and PMSF. This is also the first study to suggest that in contrast to PMSF, PMSA explains a higher variance in employee outcomes.

Practical implications

This study validates the strong relationship between PMSE and key employee outcomes. Besides PMSF, managers can use the findings of this study to focus on the “right things” or accuracy in the PMS context to enhance work engagement and reduce turnover.

Social implications

The study findings will have value everywhere owing to the diffusion and convergence in the human resource management practices of multinational firms irrespective of their contexts (Ananthram and Nankervis, 2013).

Originality/value

Earlier PMS studies have mostly been limited to either its fairness or accuracy and attended unduly to its appraisal element. This study adopts a systems vision of PMS and overcomes earlier drawbacks by investigating the role of both PMSA and PMSF in shaping employee outcomes. This is the first study to empirically confirm that in contrast to PMSF, the PMSA constituent of PMSE explains a higher variance in employee outcomes. The study provides greatly essential pragmatic support to the conjecture that PMSs advance work engagement (Mone and London, 2014; Gruman and Saks, 2011) and lower turnover intention (Kwak and Choi, 2015).

Does personality affect the individual's perceptions of organizational justice? The mediating role of organizational politics

Purpose

The personality of an individual plays a vital role in the way an individual perceives organizational politics and justice in the workplace. However, there is meager research on how an individual's personality affects the perceptions of organizational politics and justice. This study endeavors to fill this gap by analyzing the mediating role of organizational politics perceptions on the relationship between Big Five personality dimensions and organizational justice by controlling various demographic variables. The study also proposes a benchmarking model that the policymakers can use to create positive organizational justice perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

In this cross-sectional research, the data were collected through a multi-stage random sampling technique from 493 faculty members working in four public universities of Punjab, India. Out of 493 employees, 76.9% of the employees were assistant professors, 12.0% were associate professors and 11.2% were assistant professors. 51.5% of the employees were female, and 48.5% of the employees were male. To test the proposed hypothesized relationships, a structural equation modeling technique was used.

Findings

Results of the structural equation modeling showed that openness to experience, conscientiousness and extraversion have a negative relationship with perceptions of organizational politics. However, their relationship with perceptions of organizational justice is positive. Neuroticism has a positive relationship with perceptions of organizational politics, whereas it has a negative relationship with perceptions of organizational justice. Results also showed that high perceptions of organizational politics have a negative effect on employee's perceptions regarding organizational justice. The mediation analysis results showed that perceptions of organizational politics mediate the relationship between an individual's personality and perceptions of organizational justice.

Originality/value

There is a scant amount of research available that considers Big Five personality dimensions and organizational politics as the antecedents of organizational justice. Hence, the current study tries to fill this research gap by proposing a research model on antecedents and consequences of perceptions of organizational politics based on the cognitive-affective processing system (CAPS).

Promoting tacit knowledge application and integration through guanxi and structural holes

Purpose

This study aims to explore the impacts of structural holes (SH) and guanxi and their interaction on the application and integration of tacit knowledge among co-workers in inter-organizational arrangements.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationships were examined using a mixed-methods research approach through 305 questionnaires and 50 interviews collected from a university and a pharmaceutical company in China.

Findings

SH hinders the application and integration of tacit knowledge, while guanxi promotes these latter. In addition, guanxi moderates the negative impact of SH on tacit knowledge application (TKA) and tacit knowledge integration (TKI).

Research limitations/implications

By developing a framework to identify how co-workers strategically leverage their guanxi and SH to facilitate TKA and TKI, this study identifies the key factors that drive these latter in complex inter-organizational arrangements, contributing to the literature on knowledge management. In addition, the study makes a contribution to the advancement of SH theory by comparing guanxi with other social relationships in terms of their application to SH in different cultures, and recognizing the cultural contingencies that condition the effect of SH on knowledge management performance, thereby generating an important implication for the identification of the different roles that structural-hole owners play in brokerage situations. Finally, by comparing the difference between guanxi and interpersonal relationships in Chinese culture, this study provides a reasonable explanation for guanxi’s moderating effect on SH.

Practical implications

By uncovering the significance of guanxi cultivation with individuals who occupy yet-to-be-filled SH to make them more committed to the network, this study seeks to provide organizational leaders with helpful suggestions for the creation of incentives to fill SH.

Originality/value

By developing a framework to identify how co-workers strategically leverage their guanxi and SH to facilitate TKA and TKI, this study provides a theoretically defensible and empirically supported solution to the problems experienced by co-workers in applying and integrating tacit knowledge effectively in complex inter-organizational arrangements.

Prioritizing Green HRM practices from policymaker’s perspective

Purpose

This study aims to identify and prioritize Green human resource management (GHRM) practices from the policymaker’s perspective in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based manufacturing and service sectors to facilitate sustainable environmental performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) and corporate environmentalism theory, this study uses the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making model, to rank the most influential enablers of GHRM practices. Data were collected from 24 C-suite executives of UAE-based manufacturing and service units.

Findings

Top management orientation for Green, Green organizational culture and Green corporate strategic planning were the most critical enablers that promote GHRM practices in the UAE’s manufacturing and service firms. Past research has mostly overlooked the strategic variables and focused only on organizational level antecedents based on HR bundles of practices.

Research limitations/implications

Data were collected only from UAE firms, hence limiting its generalizability. The study shall help organizations operating in emerging countries adopt the best GHRM practices toward Green goal agendas.

Originality/value

This research provides an AHP framework that can be used to conceptualize and prioritize GHRM practices, which aids in a firm’s Green decision-making and transition toward sustainable Green growth. This study furthers understanding of GHRM practices play out at the various levels-of-analysis within organizations to present a comprehensive paucity of integrative and multi-level studies over recent years. The study may be relevant for other organizations in other national contexts with similar governance homogeneity.

Employees' working life and performance of UK ethnic minority restaurants: a qualitative approach

Purpose

This paper investigates the linking between employees' working life (EWL) and job performance of ethnic minority Bangladeshi restaurants in Greater London.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use in depth face-to-face interviews of 40 participants working in 20 Bangladeshi restaurants (BRs) following a convenience sampling method. A thematic analysis technique, with the help of QSR N10, developed two key themes related to EWL and performance.

Findings

These themes highlight several aspects of the relationship between EWL and performance. First, EWL is “beyond” the UK tradition; employers show a domineering attitude; however, employees continue to work due to lack of skills and competence. Second, employees perceive and present themselves as satisfied; however, this satisfaction is not reflected in the business performance of BRs. Third, the analysis shows that business owners “trap strategy” constrains employees to develop their skills for mobility to other industries. Hence, employees express satisfaction with their existing situation on the basis that it is the best they can hope for, given their specific skills and competence, and need for some security in the UK. Fourth, non-financial performance, for example, job autonomy, sense of fulfilment is related to EWL.

Practical implications

The paper provides a framework to promote a better understanding of the linking between employees' working life and performance of UK ethnic minority restaurants. Also, the paper makes recommendations for further research, including an examination of the applicability of the findings to SMEs operated by other ethnic groups in the UK.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the scarce literature on the working life of people in Bangladeshi restaurant businesses in the UK and the relationship between EWL and business performance.

Working together: Factors affecting the relationship between leadership and job satisfaction in Iranian HR departments

Implementation of human resource management (HRM) practices in Iran has been patchy and unenthusiastic despite them having been found to be beneficial in Western countries. To investigate this problem, survey data were gathered from 63 private sector organizations in Iran, producing 325 usable responses, and were analysed using structural equation modelling. Our findings unexpectedly show that transactional leadership had a similar impact on balanced organizational culture to transformational leadership. Also, no relationship was found between balanced organizational culture and team working, or between team working and job satisfaction, which contradicts previous research. We argue that, in HR departments in Iran, culturally generated attitudes towards aspects of HRM itself may produce low job satisfaction, and thus may compromise the implementation of HRM practices. We also argue that, since the cultural conditions that create these anomalies are common to other Middle Eastern and Southern Asian countries, our results can be generalized to these regions. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for practitioners.

Emirati women’s professional legitimacy

Purpose

This paper reports an exploration of changing the legitimacy judgments of Emirati women employees in the UAE’s public sector. This paper aims to fill the research gap on gender at employee, rather than managerial level, a topic that has already generated considerable research.

Design/methodology/approach

Data derived from semi-structured interviews with 29 Emirati women working in the public sector is analyzed using NVivo 12 to identify their attitudes to, and experience of, participating in the workforce.

Findings

Interview narratives reveal that women not only consider that they have the right to enhanced professional status but also view this as exerting a positive impact on their personal lives.

Research limitations/implications

It is suggested that this emerging sense of entitlement to work may be traced to the early political endorsement of women in the UAE workforce, underscoring the value of political and judicial agendas that contribute to female legitimacy and their rigorous implementation.

Originality/value

This study highlights the imperative of political goodwill and equitable legislation, as well as the need to assess Islamic values versus patriarchal biases in relation to women in the workforce.

An integrated TOPSIS-MOORA-based performance evaluation methodology for the key service providers in sharing economy: case of Airbnb superhosts

Purpose

In the context of sharing economy, the superhost program of Airbnb emerges as a phenomenal success story that has transformed the tourism industry and garnered humongous popularity. Proper performance evaluation and classification of the superhosts are crucial to incentivize superhosts to maintain higher service quality. The main objective of this paper is to design an integrated multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) method-based performance evaluation and classification framework for the superhosts of Airbnb and to study the variation in various contextual factors such as price, number of listings and cancelation policy across the superhosts.

Design/methodology/approach

This work considers three weighting techniques, mean, entropy and CRITIC-based methods to determine the weights of factors. For each of the weighting techniques, an integrated TOPSIS-MOORA-based performance evaluation method and classification framework have been developed. The proposed methodology has been applied for the performance evaluation of the superhosts (7,308) of New York City using real data from Airbnb.

Findings

From the perspective of performance evaluation, the importance of devising an integrated methodology instead of adopting a single approach has been highlighted using a nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test. As per the context-specific findings, it has been observed that the price and the number of listings are the highest for the superhosts in the topmost category.

Practical implications

The proposed methodology facilitates the design of a leaderboard to motivate service providers to perform better. Also, it can be applicable in other accommodation-sharing economy platforms and ride-sharing platforms.

Originality/value

This is the first work that proposes a performance evaluation and classification framework for the service providers of the sharing economy in the context of tourism industry.

Information communication technology, knowledge management, job and customer satisfaction: a study of healthcare workers in Lebanon

Purpose

The paper aims to identify, analyze and discuss the links between information and communications technology (ICT) and knowledge management (KM), on the one hand, and job satisfaction (JS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT), on the other hand, in hospitals in Lebanon.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods approach has been adopted that utilizes both quantitative and qualitative primary data, along with supportive and peripheral secondary ones. Specifically, a survey measuring variables was conducted among health-care professionals, with whom interviews were also conducted for greater depth and to refine the findings and relationships under study.

Findings

The results of the quantitative study find no statistically significant relationships between the variables. The qualitative study suggests that this is likely because of the subjectivity of the evaluations and/or their mutual canceling. This is further partly explained not only through technical/functional deficiencies of the system but also through the impact of implicit and peripheral forces, adjacent to contextual aspects.

Originality/value

The research adds significant and focused knowledge on the subject of the linkage of ICT and KM with JS and CSAT, in the context of emerging economies.

Engaging employees through effective performance management: an empirical examination

Purpose

Performance management systems (PMS) are integral to an organization's human resource management but research is ambivalent on their positive impact and the mechanism through which they influence employee behavior. This study fills this gap by positing work engagement as a mediator in the relationship between perceptions of PMS effectiveness, employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a survey-based design. Data were collected from 322 employees in India attending a management development program at a premier business school. Partial least squares–based structure equation modeling package ADANCO was used for data analysis.

Findings

Positive perception of PMS effectiveness was found to enhance employee work engagement. This increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover intentions among employees. Thus, work engagement mediated the relationship between PMS perceptions and job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Practical implications

The results suggest that organizations need to focus on three characteristics of PMS, namely its distinctiveness, consistency and consensus. These characteristics determine the effectiveness of PMS in engaging employees and influencing their job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Originality/value

Prior studies on performance management have largely been limited to aspects of justice and focused disproportionately on the appraisal aspect of performance management. This study takes a systems view of performance management and addresses prior shortcomings by examining the role of clarity and horizontal fit between PMS practices in determining employee engagement. The study also provides much needed empirical support to theoretical studies which have argued that PMS is a driver of engagement in organizations (Gruman and Saks, 2011; Mone and London, 2014).

Organizational culture, innovation and performance: a study from a non-western context

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the links between organizational culture, innovation and banks’ performance in Palestine.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from 186 employees working in the Palestinian banking sector. The data gathered were analyzed using the PLS-SEM approach.

Findings

The findings of the study show that organizational culture and marketing innovation have a positive impact on banks’ performance. Moreover, it was found that marketing performance partially mediates the relationship between organizational culture and banks’ performance.

Practical implications

The paper may be of use for banks managers to create an organizational culture, which fosters both innovation and performance.

Originality/value

The paper is unique as it examines organizational culture, innovation and performance links in a non-western context.