HRM practices, impersonal trust and service oriented OCB: an empirical evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose

The preliminary purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and service oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SO-OCB). The current study’s focus is on three HRM practices namely training, fair reward and promotion opportunity. Second, the study examines the mediating role of impersonal trust on the aforementioned relationship through the use of social exchange theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Data has been collected through purposive sampling technique from service employees of 39 private commercial banks of Bangladesh and was analyzed by using structural equation modeling-partial least square method.

Findings

Findings of the study comply with the theory of social exchange. All three HRM practices significantly predict SO-OCB. Additionally, impersonal trust positively mediates the relationship between HRM practices and SO-OCB.

Originality/value

As private commercial banks are growing rapidly in Bangladesh, this sector is facing enormous competition which makes frontline employees SO-OCB a competitive advantage. Due to the limited researches in the field of SO-OCB, this study provides a new avenue of knowledge for the researchers and practitioners on how to develop such behavior in a service setting. Further, no prior study tests the mediation of impersonal trust. Earlier, most of the studies focus on interpersonal trust. The current study contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive framework that explains the mediation effect of impersonal trust on the association between HRM practices and SO-OCB.

Citation

Sultana, S. and Johari, H. (2023), "HRM practices, impersonal trust and service oriented OCB: an empirical evidence from Bangladesh", Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-05-2021-0197