The Role of Managers’ Values in the Relationship between High Performance Work Systems and Customer Satisfaction: A Team-Level Perspective

Abstract

High performance work systems (HPWS) have been found to be positively related to employee work performance and organizational financial performance. Recently, the important role of line managers in the process of implementing HPWS has received considerable attention. Scholars have argued that well-designed HPWS can only be effective to the extent to which they are well interpreted and communicated by line managers. However, the impact of line managers’ attitudes towards HR practices in the HPWS process has rarely been considered. Drawing upon multi-sourced and time-lagged data collected from 107 service units in the United Kingdom, this study shows that at the unit level, HPWS can only build a positive service climate in the workplace when service managers have high levels of employee-centred values, which, in turn, leads to higher customer satisfaction.