Human Resource Management Practices and Organizational Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review of Effects on Employee Outcomes and Organizational Performance

Background: Evidence concerning human resource management (HRM) practices and organizational behavior (OB) interventions varies across organizational settings, cultures, and research designs. Aims: This systematic literature review examined employee attitudes (RQ1), mechanisms linking OB interventions to employee outcomes (RQ2), HRM bundles and organizational performance (RQ3), and contextual moderators (RQ4). Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, searches identified 308 records. After removing 4 duplicates and 45 pre-screening exclusions, 259 records were screened and 152 assessed for eligibility (41 using full texts and 111 using abstracts only). A total of 87 studies entered narrative synthesis and MMAT 2018 appraisal; quantitative pooling was not feasible. Results: Training, autonomy, feedback, rewards, and high-involvement systems were generally associated with favorable employee outcomes, although some HRM practices showed null or inconsistent associations. Leadership findings primarily concerned motivational and relational pathways. Complementary HRM bundles showed context-dependent and sometimes nonlinear associations with organizational performance. Conclusion: Associations between HRM, OB, and outcomes are context-dependent rather than universal. Predominantly observational designs, self-reported outcomes, and extensive reliance on abstract-only assessments constrain the strength of inference.