In search of key HR practices for improvement of productivity of employees in the KIBS sector

The objective of this article is to present research devoted to the relationships between HR practices and productivity (understood as behavior and results) of employees in the KIBS sector (knowledge-intensive business services sector). The operations of companies in this sector are based on the application of expert knowledge to create services satisfying the needs of personalized clients. Because companies from the KIBS sector are immensely important to the development of the economy (mainly in the context of their high potential for innovation), identification of the key factors that allow them to give fine performance is a significant theoretical and practical issue. A major role in this respect is played by the human resources management system – chiefly because KIBS companies gain competitive advantage though employees’ knowledge. As part of research with a quantitative approach (serving to test hypotheses) and a qualitative approach (allowing exploration), the human resources management system has been described as the key – from the point of view of desired behaviors and results – HR practice identified. Based on the study that has been conducted, which examined employees who had expert knowledge and created personalized services for clients, it has been concluded that the HR practices that most fully account for the productivity of employees are work design and job characteristics and empowerment, participation, and autonomy. Within the framework of qualitative research carried out in participation with HR managers of knowledge-intensive service firms, the character of individual high performance HR practices and the prominent role of managers and HR experts in supporting performance on individual and organizational levels has been indicated.