Muhammad Burhan, Omar Abou Hamdan, Hussain Tariq, Zahid Hameed and Rana Muhammad Naeem
This study examines the influence of contextual factors (e.g. age and ownership type) on HRM formality (including the underlying functions of recruitment, selection, training and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the influence of contextual factors (e.g. age and ownership type) on HRM formality (including the underlying functions of recruitment, selection, training and development, performance appraisal and compensation) in SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a quantitative survey of 300 owners/managers of services, manufacturing and trade SMEs in Pakistan.
Findings
Firm age, association with a larger parent entity, existence of a strategic business plan and the presence of a human resource information system (HRIS) are positively related with higher HRM formality. Firm size, family ownership and exporting characteristics had no association with formality.
Practical implications
This study suggests a highly influential role for contextual factors in shaping HRM practices in Pakistani SMEs. Since the lack of a strategic approach towards human resource development is directly linked to the inferior performance of SMEs in Pakistan, this study provides an understanding of the contextual institutional setting that shapes the nature of HRM practices. The findings inform both SME owners/managers and policy makers.
Originality/value
Institutional influences on HRM systems have attracted attention but organisational factors are less often studied. Studies mostly relate to Western contexts and lack perspectives from SMEs. The findings of this empirical investigation highlight the importance of context specific research given the different nature of institutional settings.
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Muhammad Talha Salam, Hamza Imtiaz and Muhammad Burhan
During the COVID-19 crisis, diversified attitudes and behaviors of structural equation modeling (SME) retailers were observed in using social media marketing that could have…
Abstract
Purpose
During the COVID-19 crisis, diversified attitudes and behaviors of structural equation modeling (SME) retailers were observed in using social media marketing that could have helped mitigate the adverse effects of this crisis on businesses. This paper aims to present a thorough investigation of these perceptions and limited acceptance of social media marketing among SME retailers in a developing country during a crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation was designed using a mixed-method design. A qualitative investigation, as the first part, explored SME retailers’ perceptions of the use of social media marketing when they were faced with mandatory lockdown that stifled their business activity. The insights from qualitative study and literature helped devise the second part of the study, a quantitative study using the technology acceptance model (TAM). Analysis of responses from a sample of SME retailers (n = 149) was done using SEM in this study.
Findings
In the qualitative study, SME retailers were found to have a varying outlook toward social media marketing. Some ventured into social media marketing while others were impeded by their limited understanding. The second (quantitative) study showed the general applicability of TAM such that perceived ease of use through perceived usefulness influenced SME retailers’ attitudes toward the usage of social media marketing during the COVID-19 crisis. An important finding in both studies was that business owners’ education level influenced their perceptions of social media marketing.
Research limitations/implications
The investigation, albeit a comprehensive one, was conducted in a particular market and for SME retailers. This opens avenues for conducting similar studies in other segments of entrepreneurs to generate insights based on comparative analysis across segments and scenarios.
Originality/value
Limited or no marketing in the physical marketplace amid lockdown meant almost an existential crisis for entrepreneurs, especially SME retailers, in developing countries during the COVID-19 crisis. While technology acceptance by SME retailers has been discussed in the literature, there are limited discourses on technology acceptance among entrepreneurs and SME retailers during a crisis. These findings from the COVID-19 crisis explicate the possibilities and limitations of technology usage as a means to mitigate challenges faced by entrepreneurs during a crisis.
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Muhammad Burhan, Stephen Swailes, Zahid Hameed and Imran Ali
Guided by institutional theory, this empirical paper examines variations in the adoption of HRM practices among SMEs in three different business sectors (services, manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
Guided by institutional theory, this empirical paper examines variations in the adoption of HRM practices among SMEs in three different business sectors (services, manufacturing and trade).
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 300 owners/managers representing three business sectors were collected through a survey method.
Findings
The results suggest that service SMEs use more formal HRM practices than manufacturing and trade SMEs. Manufacturing SMEs are more formal than trade firms. Results are not affected by firm age.
Research limitations/implications
Social desirability bias may have influenced respondents into portraying a positive image of the organization by inflating HRM sophistication. A further limitation is that the performance of the firms was not measured. As such, it is not possible to judge whether greater HRM formality correlated with improved organizational performance.
Practical implications
This study shows how the business sector shapes HRM practices in Pakistani SMEs. Findings help to inform Pakistan's Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) in dealings with manufacturing and trade firms in terms of improving HRM practices.
Originality/value
Given the important role of SMEs in economic development, comparative research on HRM in SME contexts is scarce. Since SMEs are vital for Pakistan's economy, an improved understanding of the sector's approach to human resource development is important. The findings extend the boundaries of prior comparative HRM literature in SMEs by addressing sector influences while controlling for contextual factors.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
A study of 300 owners of SMEs in Pakistan found that firm age, association with a larger parent entity, existence of a strategic business plan and the presence of a human resource information system (HRIS) are positively related with higher HRM formality. But firm size, family ownership and exporting characteristics had no association with formality.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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QuratulAin Burhan and Muhammad Asif Khan
The purpose of this study is to find out the role of positive personality traits such as honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to find out the role of positive personality traits such as honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience (HEXACO) in the development of empowering leadership, and also determine the impact that mastery goal orientation and work engagement play in linking the effects of an empowering leader on the creative performance of their followers.
Design/methodology/approach
The quantitative research design is used along with a deductive approach to achieve the objectives of the study. Data from 337 employees in the telecom sector was collected through self-administered questionnaires using the purposive sampling method. SEM-AMOS methods were used to conduct the analysis, and regression analysis was used to test the formulated hypotheses.
Findings
The study’s findings indicated that each component of HEXACO (honesty-humility beta values = 0.086, p < 0.05, emotionality values as β = 0.275, p < 0.001, extroverts β = 0.217, p < 0.001, consciousness β = 0.277, p < 0.001 and agreeableness β = 0.063) played a significant role in fostering empowered leadership. The results also suggested that there is a sequential mediation of mastery goal orientation and work engagement in the relationship between empowering leadership and creative performance.
Originality/value
This study is unique since it covers the antecedents and outcomes of empowering leadership. For antecedents, the study used the HEXACO personality model with all its elements to identify its role in the development of empowering leadership. Moreover, the study also used mastery goal orientation and work engagement as sequential mediators to check the impact of empowering leadership on the creative performance of employees.
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Qurat-ul-Ain Burhan, Muhammad Asif Khan and Muhammad Faisal Malik
This study aims to identify the impact of ethical leadership on ethical voice by determining two paths covering relational identification and psychological safety. The first path…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the impact of ethical leadership on ethical voice by determining two paths covering relational identification and psychological safety. The first path focused on relational identification and psychological safety. Alternatively, the second path focused on organizational identification and psychological ownership leading to ethical voice. The specific objective of the study is to develop and test an integrated model of ethical leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
The objectives were achieved through the adoption of quantitative research techniques. Two hundred forty-eight samples were collected from the banking sector using quantitative research techniques, and data was gathered through a self-administrated questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used through AMOS to generate the results and test hypotheses.
Findings
The results suggested a significant impact of ethical leadership on ethical voice, while the other paths’ results, such as relational identification, psychological safety, organizational identification and psychological ownership, suggested partial mediation. The study result adds new insights into ethical leadership and social exchange theory since it tested overlooked paths in the literature, such as relational identification and psychological safety.
Research limitations/implications
The research highlights the significance of ethical voice as a desirable organizational behavior. Ethical voice contributes to a culture of accountability, transparency and ethical decision-making. Organizations should establish channels and platforms for employees to voice ethical concerns and suggestions. This may involve regular feedback sessions, anonymous reporting mechanisms and protection policies for whistleblowers. Leaders should actively encourage and value ethical voices as a valuable contribution to the ethical climate of the organization.
Practical implications
The study found that ethical leaders influence their followers in such a way that they adopt ethical behavior. It is also validated that organizational ethics are shared by employees who interact with ethical leaders. So, departments should train such leaders because ethical leadership positively affects followers’ attitudes and behaviors, and organizations should encourage ethical behavior in supervisors and subordinates. The study also found that relational and organizational identification helps employees develop psychological capabilities, which leads to reporting workplace misconduct. The current study tested these mechanisms collectively and found that ethical leadership significantly contributes to ethical voice.
Social implications
The current study highlighted the role of ethical leaders in promoting ethical behavior, improving employee well-being and engagement, cultivating collaboration and inclusion, and making a contribution to the overall ethical climate within organizations and society as a whole. Organizations can have a positive impact on the social fabric by cultivating a culture of ethics, respect and social responsibility if they make these considerations their top priorities.
Originality/value
The current study is unique since it is intended to develop and test an integrated model of ethical leadership and ethical voice. This research combines an integrated model, focusing on employees’ identities and self-concepts and examining ethical voice as a behavioral outcome.
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Qurat-ul-Ain Burhan and Muhammad Faisal Malik
The pervasive issue of employee exploitation has surfaced as a salient ethical quandary within the context of modern-day workplaces, thereby demanding expeditious and imperative…
Abstract
Purpose
The pervasive issue of employee exploitation has surfaced as a salient ethical quandary within the context of modern-day workplaces, thereby demanding expeditious and imperative deliberation and redressal. This research endeavor aims to meticulously investigate the ramifications of employee exploitation on the proclivity to partake in the act of cutting corners within the workplace. This analysis encompasses the sequential mediating variables of negative emotions, namely resentment, anger, and frustration, as well as moral disengagement.
Design/methodology/approach
A purposive sampling technique and self-administered questionnaires were utilized in this study of 132 SME sector personnel. The current study is time-lagged in nature and uses the Amos software, the data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as structural equation modeling.
Findings
According to the results, employee exploitation has a strong positive impact on cutting corners. This effect is mediated progressively by negative emotions (resentment, anguish, frustration), as well as moral disengagement. According to the findings, organizations should prioritize addressing employee exploitation to build a healthy work environment that promotes employee well-being and encourages employee voice.
Originality/value
This study’s novelty comes from its analysis of the sequential mediation of negative emotions, as well as moral disengagement, in the relationship between employee exploitation and cutting corners. The study’s findings add to the body of literature concerning management development, conflict handling, and employees’ attitudes and behaviors by offering a thorough grasp of the detrimental effects of employee exploitation on cutting corners as well as useful recommendations for businesses looking to promote productive workplaces.
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Quratulain Burhan and Muhammad Faisal Malik
The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of workplace camaraderie and to investigate the mechanism through which workplace camaraderie influences incivility at the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of workplace camaraderie and to investigate the mechanism through which workplace camaraderie influences incivility at the workplace. The study is explained by taking the sequential mediation of personal biases leading to cronyism and favoritism. Social identity theory is used as the underpinning theory to explain the framework adopted.
Design/methodology/approach
Positivism research philosophy followed by the deductive approach is followed to meet the objectives of the current study. In total, 171 employees working in public sector organizations were taken as the respondents to the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data through self-administrated questionnaires. Path model is used through Mplus to generate the results and test hypotheses.
Findings
The results suggested that workplace camaraderie significantly affects incivility at a workplace with the sequential mediation of personal biases leading to cronyism and favoritism.
Originality/value
Although several researchers have studied the link between camaraderie and other employees’ related attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, few have explored the roles of personal biases, cronyism and favoritism in the relationship to incivility. This study thus posits a novel sequential mediation mechanism, based on the social identity theory, through which camaraderie is translated into civil behavior. Moreover, this study adds value by investigating this model in the public sector, where camaraderie can come up with important consequences.
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Qurat-ul-Ain Burhan and Muhammad Asif Khan
The present study aims to elucidate the mediating role of relational energy between empowering leadership and its attitudinal (employee engagement), behavioral (knowledge sharing…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aims to elucidate the mediating role of relational energy between empowering leadership and its attitudinal (employee engagement), behavioral (knowledge sharing) and performance (task) related outcomes, respectively, and the moderating role of autonomy between empowering leadership and relational energy, using the social cognitive theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used surveys in the small and medium-sized enterprises sector and collected time-lagged data to address common method variance and reveal causal relationships. AMOS was used to conduct hypothesis testing.
Findings
The results suggest that empowering leaders have a positive impact on outcomes such as employee engagement, knowledge sharing and task performance, and this impact is mediated by relational energy. Autonomy moderates the empowering leaders and relational energy relationship, strengthening it when autonomy is high.
Practical implications
Organizations should focus on leadership development programs depending on the need. Empowering leadership should be promoted to get positive attitudinal and behavioral outcomes in terms of employees. Empowering the employee in terms of decision-making helps motivate employees to perform better.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the empowering leadership literature by associating social cognitive theory. Empowering leaders has the potential to increase employee engagement, knowledge sharing and task performance.
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Qurat-ul-Ain Burhan and Muhammad Asif Khan
Empowering leadership has a wide range of positive individual employee-related outcomes. However, a limited number of research studies are available emphasizing the overall…
Abstract
Purpose
Empowering leadership has a wide range of positive individual employee-related outcomes. However, a limited number of research studies are available emphasizing the overall organization-related outcomes. The major aim of this study is to delve into the function of organizational identification and intellectual capital (structural, relational and human) in mediating the relationship between empowering leadership and organizational innovativeness. Depending upon the resource-based view theory, this study comprehensively investigates the sequential effects of empowered leadership on the mediating roles of organizational identification and intellectual capital in organizational innovativeness.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire, which got 337 responses from telecom employees. To evaluate the hypotheses, the data were analyzed in SEM-M-Plus using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that empowering leadership impacts organizational innovativeness with the sequential mediation of organizational identification and intellectual capital (structural, human and social).
Practical implications
Organizations can identify and encourage leaders who exhibit empowering behaviors such as delegating responsibilities, providing autonomy and fostering a sense of ownership among employees. Also, organizations can foster intellectual capital by providing opportunities for learning, training and development. Additionally, knowledge sharing and collaboration can help to enhance the intellectual capital of employees.
Originality/value
While much research has been conducted on empowering leadership, the continued development of knowledge and the emergence of new perspectives related to identification and intellectual capital highlights the importance of exploring alternative paths that have been overlooked. Therefore, there is a pressing need to conduct research that takes into account these additional factors.