The impact of digital human resource management on employee innovation behavior: The mediating role of organizational learning in the ICT sector in the Middle East

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThe paper examines how digital human resource management (D-HRM) practice affects employee innovation behavior in the ICT sector in several Middle Eastern countries, especially regarding how organizational learning acts as a mediating variable. The analysis was quantitative, involving an online survey sent to 15 ICT organizations in Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar. A total of 658 valid responses were collected from HR specialists, innovation team members, supervisors, and managers between February and May 2025. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. These findings showed that D-HRM (beta = 0.28, p < 0.001) affects employees’ innovation directly and significantly. In addition, D-HRM is found to have a significant impact on organizational learning (beta = 0.39, p < 0.001), which has a significant effect on innovation behavior (beta = 0.33, p < 0.001). The mediation effect was also justified (0.13, p < 0.001), and it is established that learning processes act as one of the significant mechanisms of HRM transforming digital into innovative ones. The findings highlight the significance of digital capability and organizational learning in supporting innovation in ICT companies. The study provides meaningful suggestions to HR leaders and policymakers to promote innovation with digital systems, learning culture, and human-centered strategy. These findings provide actionable insights for HR leaders and policymakers in the Middle East ICT sector, helping them design digital HR strategies that strengthen organizational learning and enhance employee innovation capacity.