Exploring the links between human resource practices, employee outcomes and performance at the individual and team levels

While the strategic human resource management literature has frequently emphasised the mediating role of employee outcomes in the relationship between human resource (HR) practices and performance, the mediating mechanism is relatively understudied at the team level. This research examines the mediating relationship between motivation-enhancing HR practices, employee outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviours), and job performance at both individual and team levels using a sample of 805 doctors from 62 teams in three public hospitals in Pakistan. The findings reveal that all tested relationships are positive and significant at both individual and team levels, except for the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance at the team level. Notably, the strength of the tested relationships differs between individual and team levels. Specifically, we find a stronger relationship between motivation-enhancing HR practices and employee outcomes, but a weaker relationship between employee outcomes and job performance at the team level compared to the individual level. These findings challenge the assumption that employee outcomes mediate the relationship between HR practices and performance in the same way and to the same extent at both the individual and team levels. In addition to its significant theoretical contributions, this study offers practical insights for managers and HR practitioners.