Tamara Fahid Mohammad, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Abu Dhabi Campus
Biography
Dr. Tamara Mohammad is an Assistant Professor of Business and Management at Al Ain University in the United Arab Emirates. Throughout her career, she has taught and advised students in the areas of Management, Business, and Organisational Behaviour at academic institutions in Canada, Jordan, and the UAE. Her research has been published in leading journals, including European Management Review (EMR).
Dr. Tamara holds a PhD in Business and Management from the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and a dual master’s degree in business administration and international business from Vancouver Island University (Canada) and the University of Hertfordshire (UK). Her teaching philosophy emphasizes student-centered and interactive learning approaches. She has also contributed to the development and implementation of new academic programs across several institutions.
Her research interests focus on HR practices, diversity, social exchange, institutional theory, and organizational performance. In addition to her teaching and research, Dr. Tamara brings valuable industry experience and actively engages in community outreach. She has supported youth in developing soft skills, raised community awareness on key issues, volunteered at fundraising events, and delivered professional development programs for university members and the wider community.
Education
PhD in Business & Management - University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Master of Business Administration - Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Master in International Business - University of Hertfordshire, (Vancouver Island University Campus – Canada)
BSc Health Services Administration at Jordan University of Science & Technology, Jordan
Research Interests
HR Practices, HR bundles, Diversity, Social Exchange, Organisational Behaviour, Job Satisfaction, Turnover, Institutional Theory, Leadership, and Organisational Performance.
Selected Publications
- Mohammad, T., Darwish, T., & Khassawneh, O. & Wood, G. (2023). HRM, institutional complementarities, and performance: The case of the Healthcare sector in Jordan. European Management Journal.
- Bourini, I., Khassawneh, O., & Mohammad, T. (2024). Towards sustainability in the services industry: Does green top management support stimulate an organization's green operational performance? A moderated mediation model. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(8), 7788-7799.
- Khassawneh, O., Mohammad, T., Bourini, I., & Behery, M. (2024). Unlocking organizational success in the hotel industry: the power of social exchange in HR practices. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication.
- Khassawneh, O, Mohammad, T., Bani-Melhem, A. J., & Al Tweijer, A. (2025). Institutional complexity in cross-border HRM practices: A comparative analysis in India. International Journal of Manpower.
- Guo, M; Khassawneh, O; Mohammad, T; Pei, Xi. (2023). When Leadership Goes Awry: the nexus between tyrannical leadership and knowledge hiding. Journal of Knowledge Management.
- Mohammad, T., Darwish, T., Singh, S. & Khassawneh, O. (2020). Human Resource Management and Organisational Performance: The Mediating Role of Social Exchange. European Management Review. (https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12421).
- Khassawneh, O., & Mohammad, T. (2025). The Influence of Workforce Diversity on Organizational Performance in the UAE Hospitality Sector: The Moderating Role of HR Practices. SAGE Open, 15(1), 21582440241277859.
- Sarwar, U., Al hassan, S. Khassawneh, O., & Mohammad, T. (2023). One pot sets another boiling: A case of Social learning Perspective about Leader self-serving behaviour and followers self-serving counterproductive work behaviour. Heliyon.
- Bourezg, M., Khassawneh, O., Singh, S., Mohammad, T., Melhem, M. J., & Darwish, T. K. (2024). Exploring the path to job satisfaction among women in the Middle East: a contextual perspective. Gender in Management: An International Journal.
- Maqbool S, Zafeer HMI, Zeng P, Mohammad T, Khassawneh O and Wu L (2023) The roleof diverse leadership styles in teaching to sustain academic excellence at secondary level. Front. Psychol. 13:1096151. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.109615.
Teaching Courses
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Organizational Behaviour
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Entrepreneurship
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Leadership
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Principles of Marketing
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Business Research Methods
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Legal Environment of Business
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Human Resource Management
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Business Communication
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Principles of Management
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Strategic Management
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International Business
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Staffing
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Compensation and Benefits
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Training and Development
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Strategic Human Resource Management
Green Leadership Support as a Catalyst for Innovative Behavior: A Study of Green Absorptive Capacity and Work Climate in UAE Hotels
Published in: Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility Journal
Jun 24, 2025
This study investigated how green absorptive capacity influences employee perceptions of a green work climate and their engagement in green innovative behavior. It also examines the moderating role of green leadership support in shaping these relationships. Guided by the resource-based view, the research explores how environmental knowledge capabilities and supportive organizational conditions contribute to sustainability-focused innovation. Survey data were collected from employees at twelve four- and five-star hotels in the United Arab Emirates and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings show that green absorptive capacity significantly enhances perceptions of a green work climate, which in turn leads to increased green innovative behavior. The results further reveal that green leadership support strengthens the effect of green work climate on green innovative behavior. These insights extend the resource-based view by demonstrating that organizational resources must be integrated with a supportive climate to achieve innovation outcomes. The study offered practical recommendations for firms aiming to embed sustainability into their core operations by investing in environmental knowledge systems, cultivating green workplace values, and reinforcing leadership support for environmental initiatives.
Institutional complexity in cross-border HRM practices: a comparative analysis in India
Published in: International Journal of Manpower
May 13, 2025
This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of human resource management (HRM) practices between domestic and multinational enterprises within India, a large emerging economy. It also highlights the distinct institutional arrangements that potentially influence the employment practices of these organizations. Data were collected from a diverse sample of domestic and multinational enterprises in India. The study utilized multivariate analysis to examine HRM practices, focusing on training and development, incentives and rewards and retention practices. Contrary to initial expectations, the results indicate that DEs place significantly more emphasis on HRM practices than MNEs. This finding suggests that organizational scale and global presence do not consistently translate into a greater emphasis on critical HRM parameters. Instead, DEs leverage their local market knowledge and understanding of cultural and institutional nuances to prioritize effective HRM strategies. The study did not categorize the nationality of MNEs, which could reveal how different cultural contexts impact HRM practices. It is possible that MNEs headquartered in distinct cultural contexts may exhibit varying behaviors compared to enterprises based in different cultural environments. Additionally, while our findings reveal that domestic enterprises prioritize certain HRM practices over multinational firms, the question remains whether this emphasis translates into favorable organizational performance outcomes. Both multinational and domestic enterprises should tailor their HRM practices to align with local dynamics and institutional arrangements. DEs can use their emphasis on HRM practices as a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining local talent, while MNEs should enhance cross-cultural competence to better integrate within different national contexts. This study introduces a critical rethinking of HRM practices by illustrating the unique ways DEs and MNEs navigate institutional complexities within India. Unlike traditional assumptions that emphasize the superiority of MNE practices, this research uncovers how DEs strategically leverage local institutional knowledge to outperform MNEs in HRM dimensions. By embedding these findings within institutional theory, this study extends the theoretical discourse on organizational adaptability in emerging markets and provides actionable insights for aligning HRM strategies with local institutional contexts, fostering a comprehensive understanding of HRM dynamics across diverse economies.
Towards sustainability in the services industry: Does green top management support stimulate an organization's green operational performance? A moderated mediation model
Published in: Business Strategy and the Environment Journal
Jul 27, 2024
This study investigates the impact of green strategic alignment (GSA) and top management green support (TMGS) on green operational performance (GOP) within the UAE's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, focusing on the mediating role of proactive environmental strategy (PES) and the moderating effect of green psychological perception (GPP). Employing a quantitative approach through surveys, data were collected from employees at various ICT companies within the UAE who are directly involved in operations that pertain to environmental strategies. This method ensures a comprehensive understanding from those who engage daily with the company's green policies. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, the research provides empirical evidence on how strategic orientations and management support contribute to environmental sustainability. The findings reveal that both GSA and TMGS positively influence PES, which in turn enhances GOP. Furthermore, GPP significantly strengthens the relationship between PES and GOP, offering deeper insights into the dynamics of strategic management and sustainability in the services industry. This research is pioneering within the region, introducing empirical data on the synergy between management support and PESs, and it highlights the significant enhancement of operational performance through these combined efforts. This not only supports the theoretical frameworks but also provides actionable insights for firms aiming to enhance their green initiatives.
Unlocking organizational success in the hotel industry: the power of social exchange in HR practices
Published in: Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication Journal
Jul 04, 2024
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of specific human resources (HR) practices (leadership, employee relations, employee safety, rewards and incentives and career opportunities) on organizational performance in the context of the Middle Eastern market, with a specific focus on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hotel sector. A comprehensive research methodology was used for this study. Two distinct questionnaires were crafted: one targeting 338 hotel employees who completed the HR practices survey, and the other for 109 general hotel managers who completed the organizational performance survey. All respondents were from five-star hotel establishments in the UAE. To validate the hypotheses, a multidimensional approach was adopted. This paper first applied factor analysis to understand correlations and groupings among the factors. This paper then undertook validity assessment by examining factor loadings, average variance extracted and the reliability values for all parameters. Discriminant validity was also carefully evaluated. The results found that there is a direct correlation between leadership, employee relations and career opportunities, with boosted organizational performance. Contrary to prevalent assumptions, the data showed no discernible link between employee safety, rewards and incentives and the actual performance of organizations. The results highlight the crucial role of social exchange in interpreting the indirect relationship between HR practices and organizational performance. This insight offers a fresh perspective on the often-discussed 'black box' in HR research. The novelty of this study lies in its intricate exploration of human resource management practices within a region experiencing swift socioeconomic transformations due to factors such as the significant expatriate presence and economic diversification. By underlining the significance of social exchange as a mediating factor, this research significantly contributes to the ongoing dialogue on HR-performance relationships, offering insights for both theoretical and practical applications in HR activities formulation in the context of the UAE.
HRM, institutional complementarities, and performance: The case of the healthcare sector in Jordan
Published in: European Management Journal
Apr 22, 2024
Building on the comparative capitalism literature, we aim to understand the impact of HRM practice on hospitals performance within the healthcare sector in Jordan, and the role of HRM in mitigating and overcoming systemic shortfalls. Two different surveys were distributed for both hospital and HR managers across all hospitals. Our findings indicate that certain HR practices are positively associated with performance, despite contextual challenges such as informal networks and cultural limitations that could undermine efficiency. We further tested the potential impact of HR complementarities on performance; nevertheless, the results did not significantly surpass the explanatory power of the individual HR practices. It might have been anticipated that mutually supportive bundles of practices might compensate for systemic weaknesses. However, it may be the case that players have devised solutions in other areas of managerial practice that may be more effective than HRM in compensating for systemic limitations. Our study also highlights that in oligopolistically structured markets, common in private healthcare systems, the effectiveness of HR practices may be less crucial for profitability, though this does not diminish their broader relevance for societal and community outcomes which are beyond the scope of this work.
Human resource management and organisational performance: The mediating role of social exchange
Published in: European Management Review Journal
Aug 17, 2020
This study seeks to explore the impact of specific set of HRM practice on organisational performance in a Middle Eastern emerging market. It aims to examine the mediating role of social exchange within the healthcare sector in Jordan, which is presently reeling under pressure from the refugee crisis from Syria and neighbouring countries. Both, HR and hospital managers were targeted in all private and public hospitals through two separate questionnaires. We find, as predicted, that recruitment, training, and internal promoting from within have a positive and significant effect on performance. However, contrary to expectations, we found performance appraisal and rewards and benefits not linked with performance. Notably, whilst researchers argue that a better theoretical understanding of the mechanisms describing the relationship between HRM and performance should be developed, the results indicate that social exchange can play an essential role in explaining the HRM-performance indirect relationship – a result that partly unlocks the elements of so-called ‘black box’ in HR research. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are explored.