The role of human resource management practices in promoting employees’ innovative work behavior: the mediating effect of meaningful work

Purpose The primary purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on innovative work behavior (IWB). The paper examines how employees perceive the HRM−IWB relationship through the mediating role of meaningful work (MFW). Drawing on social exchange theory, the study conceptualizes four HRM practices − recruitment and selection, rewards and compensation, training and development and performance appraisal − as key antecedents of employees’ IWB. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via a survey questionnaire administered to 272 employees in the technology and health care industries in Jordan. Structural equation modeling using AMOS v.31 was used to analyze the data and test the hypothesized model. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS v.4.2 by Hayes. Findings The results indicate that, of the four HRM practices examined, only training and development has a significant direct effect on employees’ IWB, while the practices of recruitment and selection, rewards and compensation, training and development and performance appraisal indirectly promote employees’ IWB through the mediating role of MFW. Originality/value This paper contributes to HRM and innovation literature by highlighting the mediating role of MFW in the HRM−IWB relationship, an area largely overlooked in prior research. While the body of literature on HRM practices and IWB remains limited, this study advances the understanding by introducing MFW as a critical explanatory mechanism in this relationship.