The impact of human resource management practices on managerial innovation in Moroccan SMEs

Abstract

Studies on innovation and human resources have mostly focused on the various traits of employees (Damanpour, 1991; Kimberly and Evanisko, 1981) and the relationship between these traits and innovation (Amabile, 1997; Shipton et al., 2006). Researchers, on the other hand, have investigated the impact of organizational characteristics on innovation (Zahra, 1993; Debackere et al., 1996; Becheikh et al., 2006a). In other studies, researchers explore the impact of organizational environments such as leadership style on innovation (Amabile, 1996; Dess and Picken, 2000). Few studies, to our knowledge, have examined the influence of HRM practices on managerial innovation (Lu and Bao 2015). Furthermore, the mechanisms linking HRM and innovation remain poorly understood (Laursen and Foss, 2014). As a result, a study of this relationship among Moroccan SMEs is justified.

In this context, the purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of human resource management practices on managerial innovation in SMEs. To achieve this objective, we performed a quantitative questionnaire survey among managers in SMEs in Marrakech.

According to this study, human resource management practices such as employee engagement, communication, incentive compensation, and promotion all contribute to a better innovation management environment for the firm and improve staff innovative initiative.