An Exploration of How the Employee–Organization
Relationship Affects the Linkage Between Perception
of Developmental Human Resource Practices and
Employee Outcomes
Bård Kuvaas
Norwegian School of Management, Oslo
The purpose of the present study was to examine whether and how the quality of
the employee–organization relationship (EOR) influences the relationship between employee
perception of developmental human resource (HR) practices and employee outcomes. Analyses
of 593 employees representing 64 local savings banks in Norway showed that four indicators
of the EOR (perceived organizational support, affective organizational commitment, and
procedural and interactional justice) moderated the relationship between perception of
developmental HR practices and individual work performance. A strong and direct negative
relationship was found between perception of developmental HR practices and turnover
intention, but perceived procedural and interactional justice moderated this linkage. No
support was found for a mediating role of the EOR indicators in the relationship between
perception of developmental HR practices and employee outcomes. Implications and
directions for future research are discussed.
INTRODUCTION
Contemporary research on ‘best practice’, high-performance, high-commitment, high-
involvement, progressive, and human-capital-enhancing human resource management
(HRM) implies that organizations offer resources and opportunities that improve the
motivation, skills, attitudes and behaviours of their employees. Whereas most of these
models suggest that human resource (HR) practices or systems deliver performance
through the effect they have on people in organizations (e.g. Ostroff and Bowen,
2000), a recent review of ‘best practice’ HRM concludes that the positive implications
for employees are at best uncertain (Godard, 2004). In another review, Wright and
Boswell (2002, p. 262) argue that ‘the dearth of research aimed at understanding how
multiple (or systems of ) HR practices impact individuals certainly suggests a ripe of
opportunity for future research’. Furthermore, most macro studies empirically assume
Address for reprints: Bård Kuvaas, Department of Leadership and Organization Management, Norwegian
School of Management, Nydalsveien 37, 0484 Oslo, Norway (bard.kuvaas@bi.no).
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
Journal of Management Studies 45:1 January 2008
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00710.x