A framework for investigating the relationship of human resource practices and performance of the Chinese construction enterprises

Abstract

Construction is complex and comprises a multitude of knowledge-driven activities and business interests from participating organisations with human capital accustomed to different organisational and disciplinary practices. Such human capital is fundamental to success because of human capability in learning, innovating and changing creative directions which can be vital to long term development of organisations. This paper proposes a framework to investigate the relationship between human resource practices and performance of Chinese construction enterprises and how organisational learning exerts a mediating effect on this relationship. Since human resource management aims to support the organisational learning process in developing firm-specific knowledge and skills, organisations motivate their staff using a number of interdependent human resource policies and practices. Practices are changing rapidly in line with China's economic development which includes the way people behave in performance of their roles and functional tasks. Their behaviours, in-role and extra-role, may have an impact on organisational learning process in terms of knowledge acquisition, sharing and usage, which, ultimately, affect performance in organisations. Hence, this paper also proposes the mediating effects of employees' behaviours on the relationship between human resource practices and performance of Chinese construction enterprises.