A Systematic Review of Human Resource Management Strategies for Enhancing Employees’ Psychological Flexibility: A Case Study of Wasit Governorate
Keywords:
Systematic review, human resource management, psychological flexibility, psychological capital, organizational support, Wasit GovernorateAbstract
This study aimed to identify, classify, and integrate human resource management strategies and influential factors that enhance employees’ psychological flexibility in public organizations, with particular emphasis on Wasit Governorate, Iraq. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies addressing human resource management, psychological flexibility, employee resilience, and adaptive performance were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by searches in Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, MDPI, Springer Open Access, and Emerald Open Access. Eligibility criteria were developed using the PICo framework and focused on public-sector employees, managerial strategies and mechanisms, and governmental or local administrative settings. Following a multistage screening procedure, 40 eligible articles were included in the final synthesis. Methodological quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist, and the evidence was extracted and synthesized through systematic content analysis. The integrated evidence indicated that strategic and high-involvement human resource management, supportive and adaptive leadership, continuous learning and development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, and training interventions involving mindfulness, self-regulation, and values clarification enhanced employees’ psychological flexibility. These effects were primarily explained by improvements in psychological capital, self-efficacy, emotional regulation, psychological safety, social support, mutual trust, and perceived organizational justice. The final conceptual model connected four interrelated levels: organizational strategies, psychological mechanisms, social and team resources, and individual and organizational outcomes. Enhancing employees’ psychological flexibility requires the coordinated implementation of supportive human resource practices and the development of employees’ psychological and social resources. Psychological capital and perceived organizational support emerged as the central mechanisms linking human resource strategies to adaptive and productive employee outcomes. The proposed framework can guide human resource managers and policymakers in Wasit Governorate in designing context-sensitive interventions that strengthen employee well-being, adaptability, and organizational performance.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Falah Sultan Malih AL-Duraye, Hassan DanaeeFard, Mahdi Mortazavi (Author)
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