In the past decades, several studies have been carried out to verify the relationship between human resources management (HRM) and organizational performance. Qualitative and quantitative reviewers of the results of these studies concluded that there is a positive relationship between HRM and organizational performance. However, based on the high rates of heterogeneity reported in these studies, these reviewers point out to the interference of contextual variables in this relationship. For this reason, aiming to contribute to the understanding of this relationship, we have tested three models of contextual variable moderators: geographical context, sector of activity, and type of employees through a meta-analysis of the results of the records of 194 empirical studies on HRM and organizational performance, which were conducted and/or published from 1985 to 2008. Of the three variables tested, we confirm the variables sector of activity and geographical context as moderators, but we did not confirm the variable type of employee is a moderator of the HRM-organizational performance relationship.
Human resources management; Organizational performance; Meta-analysis; Contextual variable
