HRM and organizational learning in knowledge economy: investigating the impact of happiness at work (HAW) on organizational learning capability (OLC)

The purpose of this paper is to examine the main antecedents of happiness at work (HAW) as a main driver of organizational learning capabilities (OLC) among academic staff working in Egyptian private universities. The mediating role of HAW between these drivers like Work–Life Balance (WLB) and Recognition from one side and OLC on the other side has also been evaluated. A survey-based research strategy has been adopted. A survey of 207 academic staff employees working in Egyptian private universities was conducted to test the direct effects of the hypothesized relationships. The findings of this study supported the hypotheses that recognition has significant positive total effect on OLC and partially through the mediating effect of HAW among academic staff at Egyptian private universities. In addition, WLB also was found to have a significant positive total effect on OLC and partially through the mediating effect of HAW. Finally, it was concluded that HAW has a significant positive total effect on OLC and partially mediates the Recognition-OLC and WLB-OLC links. Accordingly, this research provides crucial and major implications for both HR professionals and the top management of Egyptian private universities through considering factors like recognition and WBS while designing an effective total reward system that reinforces the overall organizational learning capabilities in the emerging markets context.