A meta-analysis of mediating mechanisms between employee reports of human resource management and employee performance: different pathways for descriptive and evaluative reports?

A substantial body of research has examined how employee reports of human resource management (HRM) practices relate to employee performance, yet it only acknowledges to a limited extent that different types of employee reports of HRM exist. This study differentiates descriptive reports of HRM practices which reflect employee experiences of the implementation of HRM activities and evaluative reports of HRM practices that gauge employees’ judgement of their effectiveness, quality and/or utility. By applying a meta-analytical approach, we find that descriptive reports of HRM practices are more positively related to personal and job resources (e.g. skills, empowerment, and supportive relationships) and that evaluative reports of HRM practices are more positively related to job attitudes (i.e. job satisfaction and commitment). We further find that personal/job resources and job attitudes partially mediate the positive relationship between employee-reported HRM practices and employee performance. We recommend that future studies distinguish between different types of employee reports of HRM, more clearly conceptualize the notion of employee-reported HRM practices, and examine the differential relationship between descriptive versus evaluative employee reports of HRM practices and employee outcomes.