Human resources management and innovation in the process of information society

In today's conditions the rapid and continuous change of information and technology makes the competition more challenging for the organizations. Human resources are one of the most crucial type of resource that organizations can benefit from in order to create competitive advantage in their favour. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for organizations wishing to make use of information, and processes created by information, to make human resources practices more effective within the context of the dynamics of the information society. Innovative processes may arise in organizations through the effective use of knowledge and experience of human resources, which adds to the significance of understanding the effects of human resources management practices of a given organization on its innovation performance. This study aimed to demonstrate the relationship between human resources practices and innovation in the process of information society. To this end, it was sought to analyze how blue-collar workers employed in an electrical appliances organization perceive human resources management practices and innovation in the organization, as well as their perceptions of the relationship between human resources management practices and innovation through the descriptive survey research design. Data gathered from a total of 209 respondents were analyzed. General information on the workers in the organization was provided as tables showing frequency and percentages, and their demographic attributes were evaluated. Secondly, factor analyses and reliability analyses of the factors were conducted in order to test the hypotheses proposed in the model. Thirdly, correlation analyses of the model were carried out, and lastly, the correlations among the variables were examined through regression analysis. Findings suggested that the workers had positive views of the effects of the human resources practices on the innovation performance of the organization. In addition, training, development, and wage management practices of human resources were found to correlate positively with innovation performance. The practices of performance evaluation as well as recruitment, selection, and placement of personnel, on the other hand, showed no significant correlation with innovation. Based on these findings, it could be suggested that, in order to increase their innovative products and processes, organizations may find it useful to create processes aiming to benefit more from human resources potential based specifically on activities of training and development. Another remarkable aspect of the findings of the present study is that wage management practices serve as determinants of innovation performance. In this context, it can be suggested that effective wage management practices, especially in the study sample of the present study, influence innovation performance with their motivational aspects. Keywords: Human Resources Management, Innovation, Information Society, Intellectual Capital.