Identifying HRM practices for disabling destructive deviance among public sector employees using content analysis

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to identify specific human resource management (HRM) practices to overcome destructive deviance among public sector employees. Further, this study aims to rank the identified HRM practices in the order of their impact on destructive deviance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the technique of both inductive and quantitative content analyses to identify specific HRM practices and rank them in the order of their impact on destructive deviance. Data was collected from 30 executives employed in Indian public sector via unstructured interviews. Also, Krippendorff’s alpha reliability estimate was calculated to establish the reliability of the content analysis, which was 0.80. Findings This study identified ten HRM practices (human resource planning, job design, training and development, reward system, employment security, career advancement opportunities, performance management, employee participation, monitoring and control, work–life balance) in overcoming destructive deviance among public sector employees. Furthermore, based on their frequency distribution, the HRM practices were classified into three categories, i.e. most significant, significant and least significant. Research limitations/implications Based on the categorization of HRM practices into three categories, this study implies that to discourage employees from exhibiting deviant behaviour, organizations should focus on the implementation of most significant HRM practices followed by significant and least significant practices. HRM practices that function as a coherent and synergistic system act as a win-win strategy benefitting both employees and the organization. Originality/value In spite of the rising research interest in the deviant behaviour in the literature, still there is a dearth of research pertaining to the association between HRM practices and destructive deviance. Moreover, there is no consensus among researchers concerning the specific HRM practices that should be incorporated in the overall construct. Guided by these gaps in the literature, this study identifies ten HRM practices to overcome destructive deviance among public sector employees using qualitative analysis.

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