Role of High-Performance Work Practices in Shaping Affective Commitment of Private University’s Faculty through Perceived Organizational Support Theory

Abstract

Privates Universities in Bangladesh are an important factor in expanding access to higher education; however, they still face the persistent problem of how to attract, incentivize, and retain talented faculty members. This paper focuses on how High-Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) affect Affective Commitment (AC) of faculty members through Perceived Organizational Support (POS), according to the Perceived Organizational Support Theory. The participants were faculty members who work at 13 private universities located in Dhaka, Bangladesh (n=379). The data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 as well as with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4.0. The findings reveal that HPWPs have a substantial positive impact on POS (0.730, p 0.001) and AC (0.434, p 0.001). Also, POS affects AC positively (0.437, p < 0.001) and partially mediates the association between HPWPs and AC (indirect effect 0.319, p < 0.001). These findings imply that fair and supportive HR practices enhance faculty members’ feelings of trust, belonging, and emotional attachment to their institutions. This research contributes empirical evidence to the Human Resource Management (HRM) and Organizational Behavior literature in the context of Bangladesh’s higher education sector. Besides, this study also makes its contribution to the empirical research on Human Resource Management (HRM) and Organizational Behavior in the framework of the higher education sector of Bangladesh. Moreover, it provides pragmatic information to university leaders that it is important to adopt effective and fair HR practices to enhance the commitment of the faculty and institutional sustainability. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and focus on private universities in Dhaka, highlighting the need for longitudinal research and the investigation of additional mediating or moderating factors, such as leadership style, organizational justice, or job satisfaction.