Abstract
The aim of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the relationship between high performance work systems (HPWS) and organisational performance in firms in the Middle East and Africa. Utilizing signaling theory, we integrate two organisation-level mediators-organisational innovativeness and social climate to understand the how of this relationship in these firms . We tested our hypotheses with representative employee-level data ( N= 1303) from four Middle East countries ( Jordan, Oman, UAE , Palestine) and one African country ( Morocco). The results support the mediating roles of both organisational innovativeness and social climate in linking HPWS to organisational performance. We additionally found through multi-group Structural Equation Modelling (MGSEM) that these relationships were significant across the five countries. Overall, our findings support calls to investigate HPWS in the Middle East and Africa and to better understand the role of organisational -level mediating mechanisms.