Moderating Effect of Work Arrangements on the Relationship between Human Resource Capabilities and Sustainable Organizational Competitiveness of Mobile Phone Service Provider Firms in Kenya

Abstract

Therefore, the balance between work activities and non-work activities has to be realized in order to succeed in attaining the optimality. The study therefore sought to establish the moderating role of work arrangements on the relationship between human resource capabilities on sustainable organizational competitiveness of mobile phone service provider firms in Kenya. This therefore necessitated the research using work arrangements as a moderator. The purpose of the study was to examine the moderating role of work arrangements on the relationship between human resource capabilities on sustainable organizational competitiveness of mobile phone service provider firms in Kenya. The study was grounded on Resource Based View theory. Explanatory research design guided by pragmatism philosophical paradigm was adopted.  Multistage sampling design which included stratified random sampling, proportionate sampling and random sampling were used to get the actual respondents studied. Targeted population was 1279 drawn from 3 mobile phone service provider firms in Kenya. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 258 respondents determined using Taro and Yamane sample size formula. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics which included; correlation analysis and multiple hierarchical regression analysis. The findings were analyzed at p< 0.05 which showed a positive relationship between human resource competencies and sustainable organizational competitiveness (β = 0.135, p < 0.05).  Human capital processes and sustainable organizational competitiveness also showed a positive relationship (β = 0.105, p < 0.05) and between human resource management practices and sustainable organizational competitiveness (β = 0.749, p < 0.05). The moderator variable had a positive significant relationship (β = 0.095, p < 0.05) on sustainable organizational competitiveness. Subsequently, when independent variables were moderated with work arrangements the findings indicated that human resource competencies had a positive significant effect on sustainable organizational competitiveness (β = 0.234, P < 0.05) with human resource management practices having negative significant effect on sustainable organizational competitiveness (β = -0.214, P < 0.05). Human capital processes had a positive insignificant effect on sustainable organizational competitiveness (β = 0.026, P > 0.05). There was a significant effect of Human Resource capabilities on sustainable organizational competitiveness and it was therefore concluded that there is a moderating role of work arrangements on the relationship between human resource capabilities and sustainable organizational competitiveness. The mobile phone service provider firms should promote interest of employees whenever undertaking human resource management so as to win their support as this has effect on their competitiveness. Further research to be done on other aspects of human resource capabilities, moderating role of work arrangements on human capital processes and sustainable organizational competitiveness as it exhibited insignificant results.