Exploring the black box in Spanish firms: the effect of the actual and perceived system on employees' commitment and organizational performance

Abstract

Several studies in strategic human resource management have described a relationship between people-management practices and organizational performance. However, the mediating processes that explain such a relationship remain unexplored. This study examines how both the actual people-management system (assessed by managers) and the perceived system (assessed by employees) influence employees' commitment, and how this in turn contributes to employee and organizational outcomes. Multilevel analyses of a sample of 732 employees from 26 Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supported a model in which employees' commitment mediates between the actual system and unit-level absenteeism, which in turn has an effect on productivity. Results also showed the importance of the perceived system in attempting to understand the true effect of the actual system on employees' commitment to the organization.

Keywords:

• black box
• commitment
• multilevel
• strategic human resource management

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Prof. K. J. Preacher (University of Kansas) for his advice on the multilevel analyses of the study. This research was funded by Mondragon Cooperative Corporation.