Making Good Things Last Longer: The Role of Savoring on the Relationship Between HRM and Positive Employee Outcomes

• Published date: 01 November 2016
• Author: Joana Story,Filipa Castanheira
• Date: 01 November 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21704

Human Resource Management, November–December 2016, Vol. 55, No. 6. Pp. 985–1000

© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21704

Correspondence to: Filipa Castanheira, Assistant Professor, Nova School of Business and Economics,

UNL, Campus de Campolide, Lisboa, Portugal 1099-032, Phone: +351 213 801 600, Fax: +351 213 871 105,

E-mail: fcastanheira@novasbe.pt

MAKING GOOD THINGS LAST

LONGER: THE ROLE OF SAVORING

ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

HRM AND POSITIVE EMPLOYEE

OUTCOMES

FILIPA CASTANHEIRA AND JOANA STORY

This work studies sales managers’ perceptions of performance-oriented HR prac-

tices, and the mediating and moderating processes through which these prac-

tices are linked with affective commitment. Specifi cally, we tested whether work

engagement mediated the relationship between perceptions of performance-

oriented HR practices and affective commitment using a sample of 117 sales

managers from one large retail store. Furthermore, we tested whether manag-

ers’ savoring strategies would moderate the positive relationship between per-

ceptions of performance-oriented HR practices and work engagement, and if

the strength of the hypothesized indirect effects were conditional on the use of

savoring strategies. Results showed that the relationship between perceptions

of performance-oriented HR practices and affective commitment was mediated

by work engagement. In addition, savoring strategies were found to moderate

the relationship between perceptions of performance-oriented HR practices and

work engagement, so that the highest levels of work engagement were found in

individuals who reported high perceptions of performance-oriented HR practices

and high use of savoring strategies. Finally, results support a conditional indirect

effect of performance-oriented HR practices on predicting affective commitment

via work engagement when levels of savoring strategies were moderate to high,

but not when their use was low. Altogether, these results demonstrated that work

engagement and savoring strategies represent key elements in explaining how

perceptions of performance-oriented HR practices are associated with affective

commitment. ©2015Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: performance-oriented HR practices, savoring, engagement, affective

commitment

986 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2016

Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm

To be effective, sales

managers need

high dedication and

energy—in other

words, they need to

be engaged at work.

(engagement) is contingent on how they deal

with the upregulation of positive emotion, that

is, the strategies that they use to create, maintain,

and enhance emotions such as joy, happiness,

and pride (Bryant, 2003). These strategies are

known as savoring strategies and occur during a

positive event where one intensifies or prolongs

the positive feelings associated with the occasion

through specific thoughts or behaviors (Bryant,

2003). For this study, we analyzed the use of

multiple savoring strategies, namely, memory

building, comparison, sharing with others, self-

congratulation, and counting blessings (Bryant

& Veroff, 2007). We propose that the cultivation

of positive emotions could initiate a ‘‘upward

spiral,” boosting the positive effect of HRM on

work engagement.

The inclusion of savoring strategies into the

HRM literature helps us understand how manag-

ers can genuinely reciprocate performance-ori-

ented HR practices by making a conscious effort

to enjoy the positive events rather than simply

playing a role as a manager. To our knowledge,

no studies have yet analyzed how savoring can

influence the relationship between performance-

oriented HR practices and an individual’s work

engagement. Furthermore, we propose that the

capacity to savor the moment will strengthen the

relationship between performance-oriented HR

practices and work engagement, which in turn

will be associated with higher affective commit-

ment. Thus, in exploring sales managers’ experi-

ences of HR practices, this research adds to the

literature by proposing mediated and conditional

indirect effects to explain how it translates into

higher levels of affective commitment (Figure 1).

Literature Review and Hypotheses

Link Between Perceived Human Resource

Practices and Affective Commitment

Organizational commitment is an attitude that

reflects the attachment between the employee

and the organization, and it is related to the

desire to maintain organizational membership

(Meyer & Allen, 1997). Commitment to the orga-

nization and its goals has long been considered

Sales managers act on behalf of the orga-

nization and are responsible for leading

and motivating others. Commitment to

the organization and its goals is of upmost

importance for this profession. Affective

commitment is an attitude that represents the

emotional bond between the employee and the

organization (Meyer & Allen, 1997) and may be

cultivated through investment made in human

resource (HR) practices (Takeuchi, Wang, Lepak,

& Takeuchi, 2007). HR practices are an important

marker by which workers evaluate how they are

treated by the organization (Coyle-Shapiro &

Shore, 2007; Guzzo & Noonan, 1994). Indeed,

earlier research has found consistent support for

this relationship (Meyer & Smith, 2000; Paul

& Anantharaman, 2003; Zacharatos, Hershcovis,

Turner, & Barling, 2007). These studies, however,

failed to address the contextual situations that

aid in development of affective commitment.

Therefore, understanding how and when perceived

HR practices leads to affective commitment is fun-

damental. This study analyzes sales managers’

perceptions of whether HR practices

are relevant for their performance

(performance-oriented HR practices)

and considers two processes that

explain the relationship between

these perceptions and their affective

commitment: one direct, through

social exchange theory (Blau, 1964),

and another indirect, through work

engagement (Bakker & Leiter, 2014).

Work engagement is defined

as a persistent, pervasive, and posi-

tive affective-motivational state of

fulfillment in employees (Schaufeli & Salanova,

2007). A sales manager is usually very involved

in motivating and empowering others, for exam-

ple, by putting up sales contests and rewarding

employees. In order to motivate others, they need

to be motivated themselves. To be effective, sales

managers need high dedication and energy—in

other words, they need to be engaged at work.

Considering how important work engage-

ment is, it is important to understand how we

can increase its levels. Indeed, this seems to be a

necessity, as a recent Gallup report indicated that

7 out of 10 employees in the United States are not

engaged or are disengaged at work, which leads

to less productivity (Gallup, 2013). Performance-

oriented HR practices can foster engagement

by providing sales managers with available job

resources, which stimulate personal development

and work motivation (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004).

However, we further propose that sales

managers’ ability to sustain work motivation FIGURE 1. Research Model

Performance-

oriented HR

practices

Work

engagement

Affective

commitment

Savoring