High Performance Strategy: Influence on HR Department and Line Managers' Design of Employee Voice

Abstract

In this article, we draw on and extend social context theory to explore how the drive for a high performing organization influences both the human resource (HR) department and line managers in their creation and shaping of employee voice mechanisms to encourage improvement-oriented voice in organisations. Using qualitative data from case studies within a manufacturing and a higher education organization, our results of 50 semi-structured interviews show that where HR departments adopt a strategic partner role, they are more likely to be involved in the creation of voice mechanisms designed to capture improvement-oriented voice. However, regardless of the HR department’s role, line managers will also proactively create and (re) shape employee voice mechanisms to capture improvement-oriented voice when they are aligned with their organization’s goal to build a high performance culture. Thus, we challenge the assumption that a strong HR system and voice mechanisms are designed only at the top and show that the voice system and its associated HR practices can be strengthened by the individual efforts of line managers from below.