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Article Excerpt
SUMMARY
This article presents the results of a study highlighting the role of perceived support and affective commitment in the relationship between the perception of three human resource management practices and two types of employee mobilization behaviours, as assessed by their supervisor. This study sought to explore the relationship between skills development practices, non-monetary recognition and information sharing, on the one hand, and mobilization behaviours in two categories or "areas" of performance, that is, behaviours related to work contract compliance and those related to high job performance, on the other. The concept of mobilization behaviours and its background will be presented in detail. This concept is part of a broader model, that of mobilizing human resources, which will also be presented.
In light of research advances in this field, we measured two agents of support and commitment, that is, the supervisor and the organization. We chose management practices which are used in a discretionary manner by the organization but especially by supervisors. Indeed, deliberate intervention on the part of the supervisor increases the influence of these practices on the level of support perceived by employees. The social exchange and norm of reciprocity theories were used to explain the relationships between the different variables in our model. The social exchange theory helps to explain an employee's decision as to whether or not to contribute to the well-being of the organization in response to the exchange relationships that he or she has experienced at work. Based on the postulate of reciprocity, it is understood that employees tend to show affective commitment to the organization and the supervisor, insofar as they also perceive that the latter are committed to them. More specifically, through positive initiatives such as the implementation of human resource management practices, the organization and the supervisor foster perceived support by getting across the symbolic message to employees that they are valued and taken into consideration. In response to this perceived support, employees develop affective commitment, that is, an emotional attachment to the organization and the supervisor. It is therefore postulated that employees who perceive support from the organization and the supervisor, through the implementation of discretionary human resource practices, will feel a moral obligation to repay these benefits, by demonstrating affective commitment and adopting mobilization behaviours. In this regard, it is recognized that mobilization is above all fostered by significant reciprocity relationships which are maintained through moral and social debts. We thus studied two social exchange relationships, that between the employee and the organization, and that between the employee and the supervisor. We also hypothesize that an employee's commitment to the supervisor will lead him or her to display a greater number of mobilization behaviours related to work contract compliance, as these behaviours are likely to be particularly beneficial to the supervisor on a day-to-day basis.
In order to eliminate common variance problems, we measured the employees' mobilization behaviours (related to work contract compliance and high job performance) through a supervisor questionnaire, and the explanatory variables through an employee questionnaire. Analyses were carried out on a sample of 222 employees and 38 supervisors in a Canadian retail chain. Relationships were determined using structural equation modelling with LISREL. We also established the discriminant validity of the constructs by comparing various measurement models using LISREL. Lastly, alternative models were developed in order to assess the mediating effects of support from and commitment to the organization and the supervisor.
Our results show that a favourable perception of skills development, non-monetary recognition and information sharing was positively linked to the perception of organizational support. Of these three practices, only information sharing was not associated with the perception of organizational support through the perception of support from the supervisor. Skills development and non-monetary recognition, on the other hand, positively influenced the perception of support from the supervisor which, in turn, reinforced the perception of organizational support. The relationships between the perception of organizational support, affective organizational commitment and high job performance behaviours, as assessed, were significant, as were the relationships between the perception of support from the supervisor, affective commitment to the supervisor and behaviours related to work contract compliance and high job performance, as assessed. Lastly, the link between affective commitment to the supervisor and behaviours related to work contract compliance, as assessed, was stronger than that between affective organizational commitment and these same behaviours, as assessed. Comparing alternative models to the structural model proposed made it possible to gather evidence regarding the mediating role of affective organizational commitment and affective commitment to the supervisor in the relationship between the perception of organizational support, the perception of support from the supervisor and mobilization behaviours.
We set out to assess the explanatory power of perceived support and affective commitment involved in the relationship between employees, their supervisor and the organization. Our conclusions indicate that the relationship between employees and their supervisor in the retail trade industry is significant and should be taken into consideration by organizations that wish to foster the mobilization of employees through various human resource practices. Thus, we discovered that in response to the quality of their relationship with their supervisor, employees adopt a wide range of mobilization behaviours.
Cet article examine l'influence de la perception de certaines pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines sur les comportements de mobilisation des employes, au travers de deux processus d'echange sociaux distincts, employe-organisation et employesuperieur. Les comportements de mobilisation etaient evalues par les superieurs et toutes les autres variables par les employes. Les analyses ont ete realisees sur un echantillon de 222 employes et 38 superieurs de commerces au detail d'une chaine canadienne. Nous avons etabli les relations a l'aide de la methode d'equations structurelles avec LISREL. Les resultats mettent en relief le role fondamental de la relation d'echange social entre les employes et leur superieur, a travers la perception de support et de l'engagement affectif orientes vers ce dernier.
RESUMEN
Este articulo examina la influencia de la percepcion de ciertas prficticas de gestion de recursos humanos sobre los comportamientos de movilizacion de los empleados, a traves de dos distintos procesos sociales de intercambio, empleado--organizacion y empleado--superior. Los comportamientos de movilizacion fueron evaluados por los superiores y todas las otras variables fueron evaluados por los empleados. Los anlilisis se efectuaron sobre una muestra de 222 empleados y 38 superiores de comercios de detalle de una compatira canadiense. Las relaciones se establecieron con la ayuda del metodo de ecuaciones estructurales con LISREL. Los resultados resaltan el rol fundamental de la relacion de intercambio social entre empleados y sus respetivos superiores, mediante la percepcion de apoyo y de compromiso afectivo.
Evaluacion de la reaccion de los trabajadores frente a sus sindicatos y sus empleadores despues de la huelga : una experiencia canadiense
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Des efforts de recherche considerables sont consacres a l'identification des raisons qui incitent les employes a adopter des attitudes et des comportements benefiques pour l'organisation dans laquelle ils travaillent. Ces comportements benefiques sont interpelles a partir de diverses perspectives theoriques dont le modele de mobilisation des ressources humaines. La question centrale de notre etude porte sur les raisons amenant les employes a adopter des comportements de mobilisation. A ce sujet, nous savons qu'une perception favorable des pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines influence positivement differents etats psychologiques constitutifs du climat organisationnel mobilisateur comme la perception de soutien organisationnel (Tremblay et Simard, 2005).
La perspective de la mobilisation met a contribution la theorie de l'echange social et la norme de reciprocite (Blau, 1964; Gouldner, 1960) afin de mieux comprendre ce lien complexe qui unit les pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines, la perception de soutien, l'engagement organisationnel affectif et les comportements de mobilisation (Tremblay et Simard, 2005). Dans cette optique, notre recherche veut verifier si une organisation qui met en place des pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines qui sont favorables aux employes et qui creent une perception positive de soutien genere, aupres d'eux, l'obligation morale de rendre la pareille et de repondre par de l'engagement affectif et de la mobilisation.
Notre etude retient egalement les enseignements de travaux montrant que les employes s'engagent dang'des processus d'echange distincts avec leur superieur et l'organisation (Wayne, Shore et Liden, 1997; Wayne et al., 2002). Comme la perception de soutien organisationnel, la perception de soutien du superieur peut etre suscitee par des actions positives imputables a des pratiques de gestion orientees vers le bien-etre des employes et dont la mise en oeuvre est attribuable a la bienveillance du superieur immediat (Stinglhamber et Vandenberghe, 2003). Cette appreciation menerait les employes a s'attacher emotionnellement et a developper de l'engagement affectif a l'egard du superieur (Bentein, Stinglhamber et Vandenberghe, 2002).
A notre connaissance, aucune recherche publiee dans une revue scientifique ne s'est actuellement attardee a evaluer finement la mobilisation en decoupant les comportements selon des zones de performance mobilisatrice precises. Ainsi, contrairement a la majorite des recherches qui utilise un indice global de mobilisation regroupant tous les comportements decrits par Tremblay et Wils (2005), la notre s'attarde specifiquement aux comportements relies au respect du contrat de travail et a la motivation individuelle dans le poste (Tremblay et Wils, 2005). Ces comportements sont reconnus pour entretenir des relations distinctes avec le soutien et l'engagement affectif du superieur et de l'organisation (Becker et Keman, 2003).
En considerant ces deux niveaux d'echange pour le soutien et l'engagement affectif, notre recherche se demarque des autres puisque nous examinons ces deux processus de facon conjointe et distincte, avec l'objectif de mieux saisir l'influence ciblee du superieur et de l'organisation. Finalement, contrairement a la quasi-totalite des recherches empiriques sur l'engagement organisationnel et la mobilisation, dont les materiaux empiriques proviennent d'echantillons d'employes tres professionnalises, notre etude se deroule aupres de personnel non specialise qui oeuvre dans des commerces franchises de vente au detail.
PERSPECTIVE THEORIQUE, MODELE D'ANALYSE ET HYPOTHESES DE RECHERCHE
Dans cette section, nous presentons brievement la perspective theorique de la mobilisation des ressources humaines et nous decrivons le role des pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines, du soutien et de l'engagement affectif dans la dynamique de mobilisation des employes. Cette section nous amene aussi a presenter les hypotheses et le modele d'analyse.
La perspective theorique de la mobilisation des ressources humaines
Le concept de mobilisation des ressources humaines fait son apparition dans un texte de Wils et al. (1998) dont le titre pose explicitement la question de la definition de la mobilisation des employes. Il en ressort fondamentalement deux constats d'importance pour les developpements theoriques ulterieurs.
Parler de mobilisation des employes c'est faire reference a des individus dont la contribution reelle excede les exigences prescrites du poste. Dans ce contexte, et c'est le premier constat, les employes mobilises deploient plus d'energie au travail, ils produisent plus de valeur ajoutee. Mais la mobilisation ne se resume pas exclusivement a une question d'intensite des efforts et c'est la le deuxieme constat. Par exemple, rien ne prouve que l'intensite des efforts ne suivra pas exclusivement une logique allant a l'encontre des objectifs organisationnels, comme se pourrait etre le...
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