PurposeThe study aims to offer a nuanced, fine-grained understanding of how the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and negative employee outcomes can be attenuated under self-sacrificial leadership (SSL).Design/methodology/approachHierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the proposed multilevel model on a sample of 37 first-line managers (FLMs) and 209 employees working in a large Chinese company.FindingsThe results showed that HPWS is positively related to emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Most conspicuously, the authors found that such adverse effects of HPWS are mitigated with a high level of SSL.Practical implicationsThe dark side of HPWS can be alleviated if practitioners complement their practices with sufficient support for employees. Particularly, FLMs who exhibit subordinate-serving attitudes consider followers' well-being and provide them with resources can lessen the high pressure of HPWS in pursuit of performance enhancement.Originality/valuePrior studies on the relationships between HPWS and employee outcomes have produced somewhat mixed results. This study extended the current discourse by explicating instead why HPWS could potentially impair employee outcomes and how the negative effects of HPWS can be mitigated under positive leader behaviors.

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