Abstract:
Nowadays, organisations operate an aura of a dog-eat-dog environment characterised by unprecedented and unpredictable events mainly caused by technological advances and globalization. These circumstances are compelling the organisations to teach their employees time to time for acquiring all latest changes, nonetheless, employees’ willingness, adaptability and readiness in response to such circumstances are open to question. Drawing on the resource-based view, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between skill malleability and job search behaviour. Anchored on robust ontological and epistemological assumptions, the study adopts a survey strategy with a deductive approach and cross-sectional time horizon. Data were garnered from 124 finance-sector employees with a self-reported questionnaire using a convenience sampling technique. As a caveat, common method variance has been examined for identifying potential bias of the non-probability sampling technique and single-source data collection. The study discloses a strong negative relationship between skill malleability and job search behaviour implying that employees who are lackadaisical in assimilating new skills and knowledge are thinking of leaving a job that incubates undesirable organisational outcomes. Importantly, organisational support moderated the relationship between skill malleability and job search behaviour such the negative relationship (at a high level of skill malleability) is stronger at a high level of organisational support, nonetheless, at a low level of skill malleability the negative relationship has been significantly reduced the strength of job search behaviour at a high level of organisational support. Needless to say, the study made a number of theoretical contributions to the frontiers of human resource management literature. The suggestions for future directions are also highlighted at the end of the paper.
