The influence of human resource management on knowledge sharing and innovation in Spain: the mediating role of affective commitment

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explain and to test empirically how human resource management (HRM) practices contribute to knowledge sharing and innovation through employees' affective commitment. Results show that HRM practices do not influence knowledge sharing in a direct way, but they do have a positive effect when affective commitment mediates the relationship. We also find a positive relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation performance. That is, HRM practices contribute to knowledge creation and innovation through the generation of the affective commitment necessary for employees to be willing to share their knowledge. The relationships identified have been tested by applying structural equation models to a sample of 87 R&D departments of Spanish innovative companies.

Keywords:

• affective commitment
• human resource management practices
• innovation
• knowledge management

Acknowledgements

Financial support from the Spanish MEC Project SEC2006-15105 and from the Junta de Andalucía Project SEJ-02478 is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also wish to thank Harry Sapienza, the editor and the anonymous reviewers for providing valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this paper.