Influence of human resource system strength on collective affective commitment: a contingent approach.

This research focuses on the HR strategy implementation process, and in particular on the concept of HR system strength. In this paper we analyze the impact of HR system strength on collective affective commitment and examine this relationship from a contingent perspective, taking into account the moderating effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) and organizational size. The statistical analysis of data obtained from a sample of 142 Spanish companies and 504 key employees indicates that, when the effect of HR practices on collective affective commitment is controlled for, the strength of the HR system also has a positive and significant effect on this affective commitment. Moreover, we conclude that this relationship is not the same for all companies, but depends on the level of LMX in the organization. That is, depending on the overall relationship between leaders and subordinates in the organization, the effect of HR system strength on workforce affective commitment will vary. In particular, when the relationships between leaders and followers are good, the effect of HR system strength on affective commitment is lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]