High-performance work systems, multiple commitments, and knowledge exchange and combination among Chinese public...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management

Background:

• High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS) are increasingly studied for their impact on organizational outcomes.
• Understanding the mechanisms linking HPWS to knowledge exchange and combination (KEC) is crucial in healthcare settings.
• Multi-foci commitment is proposed as a key mediator in the HPWS-KEC relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the differentiated mediation roles of multi-foci commitment (professional, affective, continuance) in the relationship between HPWS and KEC.
• To investigate how different types of commitment influence knowledge exchange and combination among Chinese hospital nurses.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative research approach utilizing a survey design.
• Time-lagged data collected from 845 nurses in Chinese public hospitals via online questionnaires.
• Validated scales from previous research were employed for data collection.

Main Results:

• Nurses' professional and affective commitments were found to partially mediate the relationship between HPWS and KEC.
• Nurses' continuance commitment did not significantly mediate the HPWS-KEC relationship.
• HPWS positively influenced nurse continuance commitment, which in turn weakly and positively impacted KEC.

Conclusions:

• Professional and affective commitment are significant mediators linking HPWS to enhanced KEC in Chinese hospital nurses.
• Continuance commitment plays a limited role in mediating the impact of HPWS on KEC.
• Implications for HR practices in healthcare to foster knowledge sharing through targeted commitment strategies.