High Performance Work Practices Research Articles

In prosperity and adversity? The value of high-performance work practices for SMEs under conditions of environmental hostility and social embeddedness

PurposeTaking a resource-based view, the authors analyse the effect of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) on the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under conditions of environmental hostility, and consider how this relationship is influenced by managers' embeddedness in social networks. The authors argue that high perceived levels of environmental hostility strengthen the strategic value of HPWPs in SMEs, whereas high levels of manager embeddedness in social networks weaken this contingent relationship.Design/methodology/approachThese hypotheses were tested in a sample of 249 SMEs, from two Spanish industries related to food production, using linear regression with two- and three-way interaction effects.FindingsThe study results show that the implementation of HPWPs benefits SMEs' performance in hostile environments. However, the dark side of managers' social capital could undermine any such benefit, especially if there is a high degree of network closure. In hostile contexts, such closure appears to limit managers' willingness to depart from the common practice of reducing investment in human resources.Practical implicationsContrary to predominant beliefs that managers facing economic adversity should reduce costs by cutting investment in personnel development, this study indicates that supporting HPWPs enhances a firm's objective financial performance.Originality/valueThis study advances our understanding of the specific conditions under which HPWPs sustain SME performance. It also introduces the dark side of managers' social capital into considerations of this relationship. The study findings provide new insights that are counterintuitive to business practice.

High Performance Sustainable Work Practices: Scale Development and Validation

The study attempts to develop a high-performance sustainable work practices (HPSWP) scale. The multi-dimensional HPSWP scale with sustainability characteristics was validated using four different samples (Total N = 509). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported that the four dimensions (pro-environment, stakeholder compassion, ethics of care for well-being, and social consciousness) reflect different factors of the HPSWP construct. In alignment with the integrationist perspective of high-performance work practices, each of the dimensions of the HPSWP scale includes bundles of human resource management practices with sustainability characteristics. The results from the construct validity revealed significant differences in the dimensions of HPSWP between companies that focus equally and those companies which focus individually on profit, human/social and environment sustainability outcomes. The validated HPSWP scale using sustainability characteristics is the earliest study in the sustainable HRM literature. The HPSWP scale will support sustainability professionals with metrics to facilitate employee attitudes and behaviour at work to help organizations implement and achieve integrated financial, social/human, and environment sustainability outcomes. Various contributions to the sustainable HRM field are discussed.

Can strategic HRM bundles decrease emotional exhaustion and increase service recovery performance?

PurposeThrough the lens of conservation of resource theory and the model of ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO), this study tests the relationship between high performance work practices (HPWP), emotional exhaustion and service recovery performance (SRP). It examines the direct effect of AMO bundles on emotional exhaustion and the indirect effect of these bundles on SRP via emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachIn a sample of 1,664 flight attendants from Canada, Germany and France, this study uses a quantitative method. Using AMOS V.24, CFA was used to test quality of scales, model fit as well as the direct effects. The method of Monte Carlo (parametric bootstrap) and more precisely bias corrected percentile method were used to test the mediation mechanism, based on 5,000 bootstrapping and 95% confidence intervals.FindingsResults show that all AMO bundles can be considered as a resource caravan passageway protecting employees against resources loss and allowing them to perform well and to recover service after a failure. They reveal that each bundle has a direct, negative link with emotional exhaustion, a health-related well-being and an indirect effect on SRP via emotional exhaustion.Research limitations/implicationsThe finding further highlights the need to distinguish between AMO dimensions in strategic HRM research and practice. The cross-sectional nature of this study limits the establishment of causal links between variables. The author encourages future researchers to adopt a research design enabling to collect data at two or three-time periods and involving multi-source data.Practical implicationsCompanies should be aware of the mechanisms through which HPWP influence the occupational health and performance of flight attendants and consider that “different bundles can have different effects” as important when they would redesign their HRM practices. In turn, it is rather opportunity enhancing HPWP (e.g. empowerment, work teams) that will be the most efficient in improving SRP. In a customer service context, and for flight attendants who work for prolonged hours with sometimes demanding passengers, it seems very important that airlines empower their flight attendants to use their skills and abilities to respond to problems arising onboard, either from service failures or any complaint a passenger may have. Employers should aim to create pools of practices designed to enrich and protect the resources of their employees allowing them to reduce emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis research study contributes therefore to the HRM-well-being-individual and/or organizational performance debate in a very particular context, by using the AMO framework to test the proposed relationship. In doing so, this study advances the theoretical and empirical evidence on how HR systems and AMO framework can be applied in this setting. The findings allow distinguishing which bundle of HRM is the most influential on emotional exhaustion, which can advance the literature in strategic human resource management. The paper adds to the literature by addressing the role of emotional exhaustion rather than happiness-related measures of well-being. Thus, our results stress the importance of health-related well-being, and emotional exhaustion, as an important pathway through which AMO-bundles influence performance outcomes and confirm that there are different well-being pathways to consider in the HRM-performance relationship. By using different bundles of AMO, the study advances the literature by showing that each bundle could have a different effect as the findings show that only opportunity enhancing HPWPs still directly impacted SRP after introducing the mediator (emotional exhaustion).

Facilitating Health-Oriented Leadership from a Leader’s Perspective

Abstract. Health-oriented leadership (HoL) is vital for the improvement of health and an essential part of psychological risk management. However, the relevance of different antecedent factors is unknown. We used data from a Germany-wide online survey with N = 738 leaders. Referring to the JD-R model, we analyzed leaders’ demands and resources that facilitate or impede health-oriented leadership from a leader’s perspective. Moreover, we examined the relevance of contextual factors like branch, company size, and management span. Whereas results show only small differences for contextual factors, we found positive relationships between leaders’ resources, like autonomy and social support, and negative relationships with workplace demands (availability, multitasking) and HoL from a leader’s perspective. At the organizational level, HoL is positively linked to high-performance work practices and health-oriented HRM strategies. From a leader’s perspective, the findings provide evidence for the relevance of favorable working conditions and human resources practices for improving HoL as part of psychological risk management.

Exploring the antecedents of high-performance work practices: empirical evidence from Ibero-America

PurposeThis article analyzes the impact of the national culture, the dependence of the sector of activity on human capital, and the multinational character of the firm involved, on the degree of implementation of high performance work practices (HPWPs) in Ibero-American companies.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative study results from a survey of 614 Ibero-American firms, in 6 different countries. Multiple regressions were performed to test the hypothesis proposed.FindingsHPWPs for employee recruitment and selection have been frequently implemented in Ibero-American countries. Three factors, i.e. national culture, degree of multinationality, and degree of dependence of the sector of activity on human capital, have a strong influence on the degree of implementation of HPWPs in general, at different degrees. For example, recruitment and selection practices are conditioned by the degree of multinationality, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance, while they are not influenced by masculinity and by the sector of activity.Practical implicationsHR managers must align the design and execution of HPWPs with the national culture, and with the characteristics of the sector of activity, they belong to. Domestic companies should also aspire to achieve the higher standards of multinational companies for specific HPWPs.Originality/valueThis study, to the authors’ best knowledge, is the first to provide insights into the influence of the three factors mentioned above on the degree of implementation of HPWPs in Ibero-American firms, using multiple regression analysis. The authors examine in this article a larger set of HPWPs than does most of the existing empirical literature.

Examining resilience: the role of creativity-oriented high-performance work practices and role clarity

PurposeThe paper aims to highlight the understated role of creativity in R&D organizations by exploring the effect of creativity-oriented high-performance work practices (CHPWPs) on resilience. The moderator effect of role clarity (RC) on the association between CHPWPs and resilience is examined.Design/methodology/approachThe study proposes a simple moderation model to understand the relationship, and specifically hierarchical regression analysis (SPSS 22.0) and SPSS PROCESS Macro has been used to test the hypotheses.FindingsFindings revealed that the implementation of CHPWPs would significantly improve resilience. The benefits of CHPWPs on resilience get compromised as the organizations lay stress on higher levels of RC.Practical implicationsIndian R&D organizations must emphasize upon enhancing resilience through a set of CHPWPs. Rather than laying greater stress on RC, these organizations should build a creative climate characterized by experimentation, freedom and a free flow of ideas.Originality/valueThe current study makes a valuable contribution by highlighting the importance of creativity and resilience in organizations. Although conceptual studies highlight the importance of creativity in R&D organizations, this has been was greatly neglected. The current study adds value to the existing literature by deepening the authors’ understanding of the role of CHPWPs in enhancing resilience, the latter being a subject of huge focus of organizations during the pandemic.

The Impact Of High Work Performance Practices On Hospital Employee Performance: The Mediation Moderation Of Employee Engagement And Employee Extra Role

Purpose – This study aimed to determine the determinants of employee performance at Zainoel Abidin General Hospital, and how it affects the employee performance at this hospital. In addition, to find out whether the extra role can serve as a moderating variable on the influence of high-performance work practices on employee performance. Design/methodology/approach – The sampling technique used in this study is simple probability sampling. The sample count is 217, calculated using the Slovin formula with an error rate of 5%. Primary data collection is carried out using a 5-point questionnaire on the Likert scale and depth interview with several key informants information from the in-depth interview can also be used to support finding from quantitative analysis. It is processed using AMOS 26.0. Findings – There is a significant effect of high-performance work practices (HWP) on employee engagement and employee performance. The effect of employee engagement on employee performance is also significant. When compared between these two determinant variables and their effect on employee performance, the high-performance work practice (HWP) has a larger magnitude so that the impact on improving employee performance will be greater than employee involvement. The results of testing moderating hypotheses also show significant results. The employee's extra role can increase the magnitude of the influence of high-performance work practices on employee performance and employee involvement in employee performance. Limitations/research implications – Future research can develop a wider sample of hospital customers that is not only limited scope in one city but several cities within the Aceh province so that the findings will be more comprehensive. Originality/value – During this time, most strategic HWP research focused more on the manufacturing sector that cannot be generalized to the service sector because of its different characteristics. In this study, the author applied the concept of HWP to the service sector (health services in hospitals).

Linking Service-oriented High-Performance Work Practices Bundle with Person-job Fit, Person Organization Fit and Affective Commitment: A Parallel Mediation Analysis

Affective commitment, having diverse perspectives, is a challenge of the day. The study examines the effect of high-performance work practices (HPWP) on Affective commitment in the Telecom sector of Pakistan through the mediating role of Person-job fit, and Person-organization fit between HPWP and Affective commitment. The study framework strengthens from the Theory of Work Adjustment (Afshan & Motwani) and the Social exchange theory (SET). The purposive sampling technique used 350 questionnaires distributed among employees and 290 returned. Findings show an insignificant direct relationship between HPWP [Career development, Training and development, and Performance appraisal] and Affective commitment. Whereas person-job fit and person-organization fit fully mediate the association among high-performance work practices with Affective commitment.

Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Linking Project Management Innovation, Project Governance, and High-Performance Work Practices to Project Success.

Project managers seem to be puzzled in resolving the global dilemma of project failures across industries. Hence, the present study introduces project management innovation (PMI) as a determinant of project success (PS) and explores whether project governance (PG) and high-performance work practices (HPWPs), strengthen this relationship. To confirm these propositions, study data using adapted scales were collected from project professionals representing software development companies in the emerging IT industry in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the hypothesized relationships and encourage PMI-guided solutions for project failures. SEM results statistically validated that project success is positively influenced by PMI, whereas this relationship is significantly strengthened through the moderating influence of PG and HPWPs, respectively. Theoretically, the present research is the first of its kind to introduce and empirically examine these untested relationships between PMI, PG, HPWPs, and PS in a single framework. These novel findings hold strategic value for both project managers and organizational leaders who oversee a range of project portfolios. Long-lasting advantages and superior achievements can be reinvigorated through PMI, after departure from traditional approaches and answering calls for new solutions to new problems in managing projects. Moreover, project governance and HPWPs should be reconfigured to oversee, as well as meet the special needs of each unique project.

High-Performance Work Practices and Interpersonal Relationships: Laissez-Faire Leadership as a Risk Factor.

Although high-performance work practices (HPWPs) have been shown to increase organizational performance and improve employee attitudes, it still remains unclear how they impact interpersonal relations in the workplace. While some argue that HPWPs lead to better interpersonal relations, others fear that HPWPs may increase competition and uncivil and abusive behaviors. In response to this, our aim is to examine whether and when HPWPs are associated with increased levels of competition and thereby more incivility. Given recent interest in how HR practices and leadership may interact to produce certain outcomes, we study laissez-faire leadership as a possible moderator. A survey was conducted in Belgium (n = 374), and a mediated moderation analysis using SEM performed using Mplus. The results suggest that in the absence of laissez-faire leadership, HPWPs are associated with less incivility, thus suggesting better interpersonal relations. However, the results also show that HPWPs may lead to increased competition and thereby somewhat more incivility, under conditions of laissez-faire leadership. The results thus point to the importance of studying interactions between HR practices and leadership in trying to understand employee outcomes. In terms of practical implications, the results suggest that investing in HPWPs may reduce incivility and thereby improve relationship wellbeing. However, HPWPs need to be combined with active leadership to avoid undesirable negative consequences.

THE INTERVENING EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGH PERFORMANCE WORK PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE JOB PERFORMANCE

It is evident that high performance work practices are bringing competitive advantage to the organizations. On the other hand, employee engagement is all about employee’s cognitive, emotional and behavioral involvement of his/her job as well as with the organization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intervening role or the mediating role of employee engagement on the relationship between high performance work practices and employee job performance. Methodology. Data gathered from 135 managerial level employees in the Sri Lankan public listed banks. Hypothesis was developed based on the theoretical assertions and empirical evidence. Three hypotheses were tested in a non-contrive study setting as a cross sectional study. After the reliability is ensured the correlation, regression and sobel test used to examine the hypothesized relationships. Results The findings of this study reveals that significant mediating effect of employee engagement on the relationship between High Performance Work practices and employee job performance. Practical Implications This study is beneficial for the banks to improve their job performance by adopting high performance work practices including realistic job preview, pay for performance, staff attitude surveys, self-directed teams, regular appraisals, extensive training and symbolic egalitarianism. Originality. This study makes two theoretical contributions. A novel theoretical framework built on the foundation of system theory is presented first, laying the groundwork for further investigation. Secondly, this study adds new knowledge to signaling theory by ensuring the high-performance work practices such as symbolic egalitarianism signals the employee that the organization recognize their worth and enhance and their job performance.

Can high-performance work practices influence employee career competencies? There is a need for better employee outcomes in the banking industry.

It is essential for organizations to invest and improve employee outcomes to enhance organizational competitiveness and growth in today's world. However, most organizations place management objectives above the career competencies of employees. Therefore, this study investigated 1. the effect of high-performance work practices on employee career competencies in the banking industry. 2. the mediating effect of employee career competencies on the relationship between high-performance work practices and employee outcomes in the banking sector. The study adopted a quantitative approach with a total of 340 respondents from various banks in Tanzania. The data was analyzed using Covariance Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM). The results of the finding indicate that high-performance work practices have a significant effect on employee career competencies. Similarly, employee career competencies significantly impact service quality, creative performance, and extra-role performance in banks. Also, employee career competency does not mediate the relationship between high-performance work systems and service quality in the banking industry.

High-Performance Work Practices and Employee Wellbeing-Does Health-Oriented Leadership Make a Difference?

This paper sheds further light on the contextual boundaries in the relationship between high-performance work practices (HPWPs) and employee wellbeing. In particular, we analyze whether this relationship is moderated by health-oriented leadership behavior (i.e., staff care) which describes the extent to which leaders value, are aware of, and protect their followers’ health at work. Our analyses are based on employee data (N = 1,345) from Germany, covering two points in time. Findings show positive associations between HPWPs and happiness-related (i.e., engagement, commitment) and health-related (i.e., general health, physical health complaints, mental health complaints, strain) wellbeing outcomes. The positive relationship between HPWPs and employee wellbeing is weaker the more employees experience leadership behavior in terms of staff care. Thus, our results provide further evidence for a substitutive or compensatory effect between HRM and leadership.

High-performance work practices lecturers’ performance connection: Does working condition matter?

Poor performance of lecturers in Nigerian Polytechnics warrants independent research on lecturers’ job performance, given that the poor performance has seriously affected educational development in the country. Substantial evidence from the extant literature has highlighted that high-performance work practices are significant predictors and drivers of enhanced performance. Also, the functionality of high-performance work practices is context-dependent. Therefore, the current study investigates the effect of high-performance work practices (recruitment and selection, training and development, and employee involvement) on lecturers’ performance in the context of Nigerian polytechnics. It also examines the moderating role of working conditions in the high-performance work practices’ relationship with lecturers’ performance. Data were obtained from 539 academics in the North-west Nigerian polytechnics. The overall findings indicate that training and development and employee involvement are significant predictors of enhanced lecturers’ performance, and working condition strengthens the recruitment and selection–performance connection and employee involvement–performance relationship. This implies that the link between HR practices and enhanced performance could be affected by the environment within which organizations operate. The present study focused mainly on teaching staff from the polytechnics located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Thus, other geopolitical zones and non-teaching staff from various polytechnics could be studied further by future studies.

Organizational Politics and Media Employee Performance during COVID-19

Many people have spoken about organizational politics about corporate well-being. Employee performance is examined in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic as a result of high-performance work practices (training, empowerment, and incentives). The findings suggest that the chosen high-performance work practices of media employees during COVID-19 had a poor association. Having a negative association with performance nullifies the current evidence of empowerment. Public media administrators must design standard operating practices that take into account the current upheavals. Performance may be improved by using organizational resources and time in a manner that fosters trust between the employer and the employee. The links are examined in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. While studying high-performance work practices and media worker performance in a developing nation, this is a novel addition. The result shows a lack of trust among the media employees, which might lead to the abuse of authority. As a result, media organizations must put in place sufficient checks and balances before empowering their staff. Since the recent epidemic of COVID-19, employees may be more inclined to take advantage of the technology development.

How Organizations Can Use High Performance Work Practices To Augment Employees’ Performance Oriented Behaviors?

We examine the relationship between high performance work practices and employee performance mediated by employee involvement, motivation, and satisfaction. We collected data on adapted scales from 292 heads of departments of various public and private sector institutions from Pakistan. The results indicated a positive and significant impact of high performance work practices on employee involvement, motivation, satisfaction, and performance. Besides, results also supported the mediation of employee involvement and motivation. However, the relationship between employee satisfaction and performance was not found significant and similarly, its mediation was also not established as we expected. The study is first of its kind, where a composite model of high performance work practices was tested for its employee-related outcomes. Moreover, the mediation of employee involvement and employee motivation in the relationship between high performance work practices and employee performance is also a noteworthy contribution of the current research in the Pakistani context. The results are generalizable to public and private sector higher education institutions of Pakistan but can also be used in other organizations with caution.

Effect of High-performance Work Practices on Civil Servants Health Based on Two Sides of the Job Demands-resources Model in the National Research and Innovation Agency Indonesia

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of High-Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) viewed from two sides of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model on employee health. The proposed model was tested on 402 civil servants of the Indonesian Research and Innovation Agency. We utilized Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the study. Our results show that HPWPs has a significant positive impact on employee health, job satisfaction, employee engagement, and challenge stressors. Besides that, we found that HPWPs has a negative impact on stressors and emotional exhaustion. In addition, job satisfaction, employee engagement, challenge and hindrance stressors become partial mediators in the positive effect of HPWPs on employee health. Meanwhile, supportive leadership tends to reduce the positive influence of HPWPs on employee health. The results of this study indicate that agencies should pay more attention to the dose of JD-R and the role of leadership in HPWPs in order to improve employee well-being. Because if job demands higher than the work resources, it has a negative impact on employees, even excessive leadership roles in the HPWPs have a negative impact on employees

Construct of Extensive Training: Towards an Instrument of Measuring it

Modern day’s organizations are facing fierce competitions and are in need of high-quality employees with high competencies. This has become a greater challenge for organizations. Recruitment and selection of a right talent is getting tougher, and tougher even there are many qualified. High performance work practices bring competitive advantage to such organizations. Extensive training is one such high performance work practice. This study aims to provide a working definition for extensive training. Extensive training is endowed with knowledge, skills and attitudes of employee continuously with the intention of covering a boarder scope without restricting to a one particular job. A scale to measure the construct of extensive training through conceptualization and operationalization is also provided as a part of the study. As a part of the study examples from the military context were also provided.

The Effects of High-Performance Work Practices on Turnover Intention with Mediating Role of Psychological Contract Breach: A Case of IT Firms in Oman.

The study aimed to test the HPWS and its employee outcomes in the IT sector in Oman with mediating role of Psychological Contract Breach (PCB). The study utilized a quantitative approach along with a cross-sectional survey method for data collection. Data is collected from the staff of selected IT firms (n=124). AMOS is used for analysis which consisted of two stages. In the first stage, the reliability and validity of the construct are tested; while, in the second stage, regression analysis is used for hypotheses testing. The study result shows that recruitment & selection, training & development, job security, and communication exerted negative and significant influence on staff turnover intentions; while, the result for promotion and autonomy turned out to be insignificant and negative insignificant. Furthermore, recruitment and selection, job security, and autonomy had negative and significant effects on employees’ perceived psychological contract breach (PCB), whereas training and development, promotion, and communication had small effects. PCB partly mediates between HPWS dimensions and staff turnover intentions, according to mediation studies based on indirect impact analysis. Based on these findings, we concluded that HPWS is critical for IT companies to generate positive employee outcomes.

Impact of HRM System strength and High performance work practices on Service Performance: Considering Mediating Mechanism

The purpose of this paper is on how ability enhancing, motivation focused and opportunity creating high performance work practices and employee’s perception of HRM system strength relate to performance outcome i.e. branch service performance in a Bank’s settings. Furthermore, this paper explores the mediation effect of Line mangers ability, motivation and opportunity to implement human resource practices between the high performance work practices, perception of HRM system strength and service performance. Adopted a quantitative research design. Data collected from a sample of 761 employees across 380 different bank branches in Pakistan. Structural equational modeling technique was used to analyze the data. The result supported both content and process perspectives and the positive impact of ability, motivation and opportunity HR practices and HRM system strength on branch service performance. However, the mediation results indicated the partial acceptance. This study provides an empirical evidence of how high performance work practices and employee’s perception of HRM system strength influence branch performance of bank’s employees in developing nation context. The findings of this paper are expected to encourage researchers to be more thoughtful to the connection between organisational HRM system support and HR practices to improve performance within organisations by emphasizing the alignment between Line manager’s AMO and HPWP practices.