Abstract:
This thesis applies the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to analyze how discretionary human resource (HR) practices affect counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) in Lebanese firms. The study investigates how HR strategies affect employee responses through perceived organizational injustice as a mediating factor while organizational identification acts as a moderating element. It investigates how customized, flexible HR practices are resource-enhancing tools that decrease workplace deviant behaviors. The study uses survey responses from 214 Lebanese employees working in different sectors to fill a significant knowledge gap in HR studies, primarily focusing on Western business settings. The study indicates that HR practices implemented at the manager’s discretion led to decreased CWBs, while employee perceptions of organizational injustice may partially explain this relationship. However, a formal mediation analysis was not conducted, so this remains a suggested pathway. Organizational identification failed to influence the relationship between injustice and CWBs, nor did it significantly lower the likelihood of harmful workplace conduct. This contradicts the initial expectation that organizational identification might play an independent protective role. The study provides essential knowledge to HR managers and organizational leaders who want to develop workplace environments that are fair and supportive while respecting cultural differences to reduce counterproductive workplace behavior.
