Conceptual Study on Impact of Human Resource Practices on Organizational Performance in State Universities in Sri Lanka: The Mediating Role of Employee Attitude

The impact of Human Resource (HR) practices on the performance of state universities in Sri Lanka is analyzed in the context of mediating employee attitudes encompassing customer orientation, resource management, internal business processes, and learning and growth. The objectives of this research are to identify the determine factors influencing HR practices, organizational performance, and employee attitudes in Sri Lankan state universities. It also aims to establish the link between HR practices and organizational performance in these institutions while exploring the mediating role of employee attitude between HR Practices and organizational performance in State Universities in Sri Lanka. Ultimately, the research seeks to construct a conceptual model that delineates the conceptual relationships between HR practices and organizational performance factors within Sri Lankan state universities. This research is structured in two stages: the first phase is classified as exploratory research, during which a conceptual model is developed based on identified factors. The subsequent stage is a conclusive research design, combining descriptive and causal research methods. The researcher has collected a total of 184 articles as sample data pertaining to HR practices, organizational performance, and employee attitudes. Secondary sources were also consulted for data collection. Qualitative analysis has revealed that the factors influencing HR practices in Sri Lankan state universities encompass Recruitment and Selection (RS), Training and Development (TD), Performance Appraisal (PA), Reward Management and Compensation (RMC), Working Environment (WE), and Organizational Culture (OC). Factors influencing Organizational Performance (OP) are associated with Customers (Students), Resources (Academic and Administrative staff), Internal Business Processes (Degree programmes, etc.), Innovation, Learning, and Growth (ILG). Employee attitude factors include Job Satisfaction (JS), Employee Engagement (EE), Employee Commitment (EC), Employee Involvement (EI), as well as affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of attitude. Utilizing these identified factors, a conceptual model has been devised to elucidate the conceptual relationships between HR practices and organizational performance factors, taking into account the mediating influence of employee attitude factors.