Human Resource Management Systems and Firm Innovation: A Meta-Analytic Study

Abstract

Building on the resource-based view, this paper examines the meta-analytic relationships between Human Resource Management (HRM) systems and different types of firm innovation (innovation in products or services, innovation in processes, and innovation in people and organizations) and the moderating role of sampled industries and sampled cultural clusters in these relationships. With 119 records from 57 unique papers published between 2000 and 2020, this study found that HRM systems positively contribute to innovation in products or services, innovation in processes, and innovation in people and organizations. Sampled industries and cultural clusters significantly moderate the relationships between HRM systems and innovation in products or services. These results may be biased because most empirical researchers focused on innovation in products or services instead of innovation in processes or innovation in people and organizations. Despite the dynamism of HRM systems, researchers are most like to include compensation, training, and performance appraisal while studying HRM systems and firm innovation.

Keywords

• human resource management systems
• firm innovation
• country culture clusters
• industry
• meta-analysis