Team-level human resource attributions and performance

Drawing on attribution theory, this study explores the relationship between team-level human resource attributions (HRAs) and team performance, and explains how transformational leadership moderates this relationship. The data were collected from leaders and subordinates across 77 work teams, for a total of 708 participants employed in seven manufacturing and service organizations in China. The study finds that the relationship between commitment-focused team-level HRAs and team performance is mediated by team engagement, and that self-awareness of transformational leadership significantly strengthens the positive relationship between these variables. However, parallel moderated mediation relationships are not evident between control-focused team-level HRAs and team performance. The study is among the first to explore team-level HRAs and contributes to the scholarly debates on the role of attributions in explaining the so-called 'black box' between HRM and performance.

Automated summary

This study examines the relationship between team-level human resource attributions (HRAs) and team performance, with a focus on how transformational leadership moderates this relationship. The results show that commitment-focused team-level HRAs impact team performance through team engagement, and that self-awareness of transformational leadership strengthens this positive relationship. However, no similar moderated mediation relationships were found between control-focused team-level HRAs and team performance.