HRM practices and academic research output: evidence from universities in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

The Saudi Arabian higher education sector is unique because it depends on an international workforce comprising mostly non-Saudi academics. This study examined the relationship between HRM practices, trust, knowledge sharing and academic research output in Saudi Arabian universities. The study design supports the application of both exploratory and explanatory (mixed-method) approaches in examining the relationship between HRM practices and academic research output. Although the results suggest a positive relationship between HRM practices and academic research output, trust and knowledge sharing act as mediators. This study adds to the literature on higher education management, particularly from the Middle East Region – an under-researched area in education management research. Theoretically, this study contributes to understanding the relationship between HRM practices and academic research output in a higher education context. The findings have implications for advancing knowledge sharing and trust in Saudi Arabian universities.

KEYWORDS:

• Saudi Arabia
• research output
• trust
• knowledge sharing
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through Small Group Research Project under [grant number: RGP1/294/44].

Notes on contributors

Mohammad Alqahtani

Dr Mohammad Alqahtani is Assistant Professor at the College of Business, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. He Holds a PhD from Curtin University Western Australia. His research interests include Human Resource Management in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia, Green and Sustainable Human Resource Management and Knowledge sharing.

Desmond Tutu Ayentimi

Dr Desmond Tutu Ayentimi is a Senior Lecturer in Management and holds a PhD in Management from Curtin University, Western Australia. His research interests include Multinational Enterprises HRM, Technology and Employment Relations, Cross Cultural Management, Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion and HRD in sub-Saharan Africa. He has published extensively in reputable international journals including Industrial Relations Journal, Personal Review, Journal of Industrial Relations, International Journal of Project Management, Education + Training, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Thunderbird International Business Review, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, and the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship.

Kantha Dayaram

Kantha Dayaram Professor of Employment Relations and Management. She holds a doctorate in public policy and governance, with dual masters in leadership, and health policy and management from the London School of Economics. She researches in the areas of labour policy, gender-based violence, and work health and safety. She has contributed internationally towards sustainable labour practices and the decent work agenda. Her work is published in leading labour and employment relations journals as well as co-authored books, book chapters and commissioned reports. She has also guest edited several special issues on human resource practices and workplace psychosocial hazards.