High-performance work systems and job performance: the mediating role of social identity, social climate and empowerment in Chinese banks

Abstract

PurposeDespite the utility of social identity and social climate theories in explaining individual and group behaviour within organizations, little research has been conducted on how these approaches interconnect to explain the way high-performance work systems (HPWSs) may increase job performance. This study extends one’s understanding of the human resource management (HRM)–performance relationship by examining the interconnections between these disparate social approaches within the Chinese banking context.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a sample of 561 employees working across 62 bank branches in China, the authors test four hypotheses: (1) HPWS is positively related to social climate; (2) social climate mediates the relationship between HPWS and social identification; (3) psychological empowerment mediates the relationship between social identification and job performance; and (4) social climate, social identification and psychological empowerment sequentially mediate the relationship between HPWS and job performance. Data were collected over two waves and job (in-role) performance was rated by managers.FindingsThe authors confirm the four hypotheses. Social climate, social identification and psychological empowerment sequentially mediate the relationship between HPWS and job performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contains some limitations. First, the authors’ research sites were focussed on one main region in state-owned banks in China. Second, this study examined only one industry with a relatively homogeneous workforce (i.e. relatively young and highly educated employees).Practical implicationsHPWS may translate into individual performance through a supportive social climate in which staff identify themselves with their work team. This suggests that organizations should pay close attention to understanding how their HPWS system can foster a strong social climate to enhance employee identification at the work group level. Second, as the nature of work is becoming increasingly more complex and interdependent, enabling not just individuals but also work groups to function effectively, it is critical for departments and work groups to promote a collective understanding of HRM messages with shared values and goals.Originality/valueThis research contributes towards a more comprehensive understanding of the HRM–performance chain as a complex social process underpinned by social identity theory. The authors demonstrate that social identification and social climate both play an important role in explaining how HPWS positively affects psychological empowerment and subsequent job performance.

How do high-performance work systems affect innovation performance? The organizational learning perspective

“…Despite subtle differences among HRM systems such as strategic HR management (SHRM), high-performance, high-commitment and high-involvement work systems (Becker and Huselid, 2006), high-performance work systems (HPWS) lay emphasis on both internal and external circumstances and broadly consider the key attributes of HR systems (Evans and Davis, 2005). In fact, HPWS are a way to improve individual and organizational performance via combining diverse HRM practices (Bartram et al , 2020; Beltrán-Martín et al , 2008). Given that the crucial role of HPWS accounts for organizational outcomes in general, understanding the process whereby HPWS lead to innovation outcomes is of great interest of scholars in particular.…”

High-performance work systems in an Arab Middle Eastern context: analysis from multisource data

“…These results are in line with previous research conducted in contexts other than the Middle East. These studies found a significant link between HPWS and job performance (Bartram et al. , 2021; Zhang et al.…”

“…These results are in line with previous research conducted in contexts other than the Middle East. These studies found a significant link between HPWS and job performance (Bartram et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2019), HPWS and OCB (Kloutsiniotis and Mihail, 2020;Pham-Thai et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2019) and HPWS and IWB (Bos-Nehles and Veenendaal, 2019; Sanz-Valle and Jim enez-Jim enez, 2018). Moreover, work engagement was found to be positively impacted by the employees' perceptions of HPWS.…”

“…Empirically, recent studies in Romania and China demonstrated a positive relationship between HPWS and employees' performance (Bartram et al, 2021;Karatepe, 2013;Zhang et al, 2019). On the other hand, other studies in a non-Middle Eastern context found a positive relationship between HPWS and OCB (Kloutsiniotis and Mihail, 2020;Pham-Thai et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2019).…”

Engaging to innovate: an investigation into the implications of engagement at work on innovative behaviors in healthcare organizations

“…First, the engagement at work of health professionals may indirectly contribute to their readiness to use creativity in accomplishing their tasks and to their willingness to participate in the redesign of organizational processes and practices in a perspective of continuous organizational improvement (Solstad and Petterson, 2019). Second, a positive and empowering organizational climate may mediate the effects of health professionals' engagement on individual and collective pro-innovation behaviors, enacting a social identification with the organization which fosters the commitment to organizational excellence (Bartram et al, 2020).…”