IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp12527.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Impact of High-Performance Work Systems on Employees: A Sectoral Comparison

Author

Listed:
  • White, Michael

    (Policy Studies Institute)

  • Bryson, Alex

    (University College London)

Abstract

Using nationally representative linked employer-employee surveys of workplaces with 50 or more employees we find the adoption of High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS) in the private sector is largely positively correlated with employee job attitudes pre-recession. However, high intensity HPWS has partly adverse consequences for private sector employees in the post-recession period. In contrast, there are no indications of public sector employees responding positively or negatively to HPWS and HPWS is not associated with adverse effects post-recession. The sectoral difference in results is interpreted in terms of different employment relationships and different sources of employee motivation.

Suggested Citation

  • White, Michael & Bryson, Alex, 2019. "The Impact of High-Performance Work Systems on Employees: A Sectoral Comparison," IZA Discussion Papers 12527, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12527
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp12527.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jackie Coyle‐Shapiro & Ian Kessler, 2000. "Consequences Of The Psychological Contract For The Employment Relationship: A Large Scale Survey," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7), pages 903-930, November.
    2. Van Reenen, John & Bloom, Nicholas & Sadun, Raffaella, 2016. "Management as a Technology," CEPR Discussion Papers 11312, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Gallie, Duncan & White, Michael & Cheng, Yuan & Tomlinson, Mark, 1998. "Restructuring the Employment Relationship," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198294412.
    4. John Godard, 2001. "High Performance and the Transformation of Work? The Implications of Alternative Work Practices for the Experience and Outcomes of Work," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 54(4), pages 776-805, July.
    5. Harvie Ramsay & Dora Scholarios & Bill Harley, 2000. "Employees and High‐Performance Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(4), pages 501-531, December.
    6. David E. Guest & Jonathan Michie & Neil Conway & Maura Sheehan, 2003. "Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance in the UK," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(2), pages 291-314, June.
    7. Julian Seymour Gould-Williams & Mark Gatenby, 2010. "The Effects Of Organizational Context And Teamworking Activities On Performance Outcomes," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(6), pages 759-787, November.
    8. Samuel Bowles & Herbert Gintis, 1993. "The Revenge of Homo Economicus: Contested Exchange and the Revival of Political Economy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 7(1), pages 83-102, Winter.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael White & Alex Bryson, 2018. "HPWS in the Public Sector: Are There Mutual Gains?," DoQSS Working Papers 18-10, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    2. Heywood, John S. & Siebert, W. Stanley & Wei, Xiangdong, 2005. "High Performance Workplaces and Family Friendly Practices: Promises Made and Promises Kept," IZA Discussion Papers 1812, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Michael White & Alex Bryson, 2019. "High performance work systems and public sector workplace performance in Britain," DoQSS Working Papers 19-03, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    4. Surhan Cam & Serap Palaz, 2023. "Mutual interests management with a purposive approach: Evidence from the Turkish shipyards for an amorphous impact model between (subjective) well‐being and performance," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 40-70, January.
    5. Alex Bryson & Lucy Stokes & David Wilkinson, 2023. "Is pupil attainment higher in well-managed schools?," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 129-144, January.
    6. Marsden, David & Cañibano, Almudena, 2009. "Participation in organisations: economic approaches," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 25167, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. White, Michael & Bryson, Alex, 2011. "HRM and workplace motivation: incremental and threshold effects," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121761, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. John Forth & Alex Bryson, 2019. "Management practices and SME performance," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 66(4), pages 527-558, September.
    9. Jaap Paauwe, 2009. "HRM and Performance: Achievements, Methodological Issues and Prospects," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 129-142, January.
    10. Francis Green & Alan Felstead & Duncan Gallie & Golo Henseke, 2022. "Working Still Harder," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(2), pages 458-487, March.
    11. Ferreira, Pedro & Porto, Nelida & Portela, Marta, 2010. "Women's participation in high performance work practices: a comparative analysis of Portugal and Spain," MPRA Paper 36404, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2010.
    12. John Forth & Alex Bryson, 2018. "The impact of management practices on SME performance," DoQSS Working Papers 18-04, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    13. Alex Bryson & John Forth & Helen Gray & Lucy Stokes, 2020. "Does Employing Older Workers Affect Workplace Performance?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 532-562, October.
    14. Magali A. Delmas & Sanja Pekovic, 2018. "Corporate Sustainable Innovation and Employee Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(4), pages 1071-1088, July.
    15. Michael Barry & Alex Bryson & Rafael Gomez & Bruce Kaufman & Guenther Lomas & Adrian Wilkinson, 2018. "The ''Good Workplace'': The Role of Joint Consultative Committees, Unions and HR policies in Employee Ratings of Workplaces in Britain," DoQSS Working Papers 18-08, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    16. Ludivine Martin, 2017. "Do Innovative Work Practices and Use of Information and Communication Technologies Motivate Employees?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 263-292, April.
    17. Alex Bryson & Michael White, 2011. "HRM and Workplace Motivation: Incremental and Threshold Effects," CEP Discussion Papers dp1097, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    18. Alex Bryson & Michael White, 2008. "Organizational Commitment: Do Workplace Practices Matter?," CEP Discussion Papers dp0881, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    19. Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald & Barth, Erling, 2009. "How does innovation affect worker well-being?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 27781, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Stirpe, Luigi & Zárraga-Oberty, Celia, 2017. "Are High-Performance Work Systems always a valuable retention tool? The roles of workforce feminization and flexible work arrangements," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 128-136.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    high performance work systems; public sector; organizational commitment; intrinsic job satisfaction; well-being;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12527. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.