e-HRM in Action: The Relationship Between Employee Behaviours and Perceived Organisational Success – A Comparative Study Between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom

Abstract

The new normal, with massive technological advancements, has ushered in a situation where managing employee behaviour has become increasingly challenging. Rapid changes in the workplace have made the matters more complex. With the widespread adoption of technology, particularly the strategic implementation of electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM), employee behaviours play a crucial role in determining perceived organisational success (POS). The main contribution of this study is the identification of the relationship between e-HRM implementation and POS through specific behavioural constructs: employee engagement (EE), employee empowerment (EEM), organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), employee performance (EP) and employee agility (EA). This study offers value by providing a theoretical framework for examining these relationships that shape workplace dynamics, drawing on social exchange theory (SET). This quantitative study employs a cross-sectional survey research design to test hypotheses across different organisations and compares findings between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Kingdom (UK). Data were collected from 350 employed respondents from Saudi Arabia and 263 from the UK. IBM SPSS Statistics software was used for coding and analysis, and CB-SEM for Structural Equation Modelling to measure and evaluate the relationships between the study variables. The findings showed that e-HRM implementation related to EEM, which in turn linked to EP, led to POS in the KSA context. Meanwhile, in the UK, e-HRM was linked to OCB, which was subsequently connected to EP and ultimately led to POS. Furthermore, EA did not moderate the relationship between EP and POS in either sample. This study contributes to extending and enriching the literature on e-HRM and employee behaviour, demonstrating how integrating an e-HRM system with employee behaviour enhances the organisation’s ability to foster prosperity.