Human resource management practices and organizational commitment: research methods, issues and future directions (2001-2016)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to outline the various research methods adopted by researchers in studies that have investigated the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and organizational commitment (OC). Design/methodology/approach: The authors adopted a comprehensive review that covers empirical research on HRM-OC relationship, which was published between 2001 and 2016 in international peer-reviewed journals. A total of 63 empirical studies were included in this review. Authors adopted content analysis to synthesize the findings on the adopted research methods. Findings: This review clearly indicates the excessive reliance of researchers on specific research methods (i.e. surveys, individual-level analysis, and cross-sectional design). However, there is a steady increase in empirical studies that have adopted mixed-method, multi-actor, and multi-level research designs. Originality/value: This review has attempted to explore advanced research methods that may offer assistance to overcome methodological limitations of the current HRM-OC literature.