High involvement work practices that really count: perspectives from the UAE

Purpose – The aim of the current study is to examine the impact of high involvement work practices (HIWPs) upon trust and commitment in a non‐Western cultural context, namely the UAE. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative, empirical data for the study were collected using self‐administered questionnaires with 600 participants from different service organizations in the UAE. Respondents were asked to provide their perceptions of a range of practices and their impact on trust and commitment. Findings – The analyses support a model in which a collection of HIWPs positively influenced trust and commitment. In addition, work status and citizenship were used as control variables and played a partially significant role in explaining the effect of those practices on the outcomes. Research limitations/implications – The findings imply that managers should realize that implementing high involvement policies, and benefiting from them, is not as simple as instituting a single practice. What is required is an organizational culture that cultivates HIWPs. Originality/value – Since little is known about the process by which UAE organizations promote the HIWPs, this article is the first to examine these issues in a non‐Western setting. Consequently, it contributes to the literature by examining whether the empirical results found in Western environments can be extended to non‐Western contexts.