Perceived HR practices and employee performance: mediating effects of affective commitment and moderating effects of...

In a context characterized by intense competition and profound organizational change, individual employee performance has become a strategic concern for organizations. Human resource management practices play a central role in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors, which highlights the need to better understand how these practices influence individual performance.

This study investigates the impact of perceived human resource management (HRM) practices on multidimensional individual performance in Moroccan small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), examining the mediating role of affective commitment and the moderating effect of transformational leadership.

Despite the growing body of research examining the relationship between human resource management practices and employee performance, limited studies have simultaneously integrated the mediating role of affective commitment and the moderating role of transformational leadership. In a context characterized by rapid organizational transformations, understanding these mechanisms is crucial for supporting sustainable organizational performance.

This study adopted a quantitative research design. Based on an extensive literature review, a conceptual model and research hypotheses were developed. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to Moroccan employees, yielding 152 valid responses, which were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The results show that perceived HR practices positively influence task, contextual and adaptive performance while reducing counterproductive work behavior. The findings also confirm the partial mediating role of affective commitment and the moderating role of transformational leadership in this relationship.

The findings suggest that organizations should implement effective and supportive HR practices to enhance employee performance and strengthen affective commitment. In addition, fostering transformational leadership behaviors may reinforce the positive effects of HR practices on employee outcomes and contribute to improved organizational performance.

This study contributes to the HRM-performance literature by proposing and empirically testing a moderated mediation model that integrates perceived HR practices, affective commitment and transformational leadership in explaining individual performance. By providing empirical evidence from the Moroccan context, the study extends existing research on the mechanisms through which HR practices influence employee outcomes in emerging economies.