Fostering creative and intrapreneurial behaviours through human resource practices: a human centered perspective

Traditionally, specialist literature has analysed the impact of High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) on individual behaviour; but this relationship is not a direct link, and specialised works have analysed the role of different variables as satisfaction, engagement or happiness at work as antecedents of individual behaviour. Particularly, this work tries to analyse the mechanisms that link HPWPs and individual behaviours, particularly intrapreneurial behaviour, relationship that remains, to some extent, scarcely explored. Through different models we focus on studying how two particular elements take part in this relationship: the strength of the HR management system (based on three dimensions: distinctiveness, consistency and consensus) and the effect of knowledge processes. A sample of 322 knowledge-intensive employees has been surveyed and the results reveal that firms analysed should encourage risk taking and knowledge processes to increase creativity. Also, one of the components of the “strength” concept, consistency, has a mediating role between one particular HR practice, performance appraisal, and innovative behaviour (IB). And finally, knowledge processes mediate the relationship between HPWPs and intrapreneurial behaviour (that includes IB). To conclude, some practical ideas and recommendations are exposed taking our results as a starting point.