Reconfiguring HRM practices to enhance social performance in SMEs affected following the peak of the COVID-19 Crisis: Lessons from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire

Résumé

This study contributes to the ongoing debate concerning the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) and performance, a topic that has remained unresolved due to the uncertainty and volatility of the business environment. Now, more than ever, the business environment remains disrupted in the aftermath of the peak of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, prompting an investigation into how the reconfiguration of HRM practices has affected the social performance of SMEs in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. To this end, we employ Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), a widely used method in quantitative HRM research for testing complex causal models incorporating multiple latent variables. Data analysis is performed using Partial Least Squares (PLS), a variance-based alternative estimation method for structural models. Our findings suggest that the configuration system of HRM practices relies on the effective management of work, which is essential to align other practices with both the work environment and social performance objectives. Across both countries, administrative practices are the most significant contributors to social performance, when compared to innovative, mobilizing, and digital practices.

Keywords: COVID-19; Configurational Approach; HRM Practices; SMEs; Social Performance.