An exploration of institutional and contextual factors shaping HRM practices: a case study of restructuring within the Saudi Arabian public sector

Abstract

This study examines how institutional and contextual factors shape human resource management (HRM) practices and the extent to which organisations in the Saudi Arabian public sector follow a responsible approach to restructuring. It explores the interplay between hard and soft HRM practices within this context. Specifically, the research investigates how regulative, cultural-cognitive, and normative factors influence the implementation of responsible restructuring strategies.
Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 20 employees at different hierarchical levels in a Saudi public-sector organisation. Thematic analysis was then used to interpret the data and identify key patterns.

The findings have revealed significant gaps in the adoption of responsible restructuring, particularly in soft HRM practices such as consultation, communication, and negotiations. Hard HRM practices face cultural constraints, with Western practices such as redeployment, competency assessment, and performance appraisal encountering contradictions in the Saudi context. This study demonstrates how cultural and regulatory influences shape HRM practices. It also demonstrates how this affects employee voice and consultation practices, and consequently their experiences and perceptions of restructuring responsibility.

This research underscores the critical need to tailor best practices for the local environment, focusing on Saudi Arabia's unique cultural, regulatory, and normative factors that influence responsible restructuring strategies. A major contribution of this study is its advocacy for integrating contextual elements into the analysis and practice of responsible restructuring. The central thesis asserts that responsible restructuring is best understood through a best-fit approach that accommodates local organisational and institutional contingencies, including regulative, cultural-cognitive, and normative dimensions.

Date of Thesis submission	2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Sponsors	Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
Supervisor	Jayne Bye (Supervisor) & Louise Ingersoll (Supervisor)