Skip to main content
Log in

High-Performance Work Systems, Corporate Social Performance and Employee Outcomes: Exploring the Missing Links

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

High-performance work systems (HPWS)-performance research has dominated innovative human resource management studies for two decades. However, mainstream HPWS research has paid little attention to employees’ perceptions of HPWS, or to the relationship between HPWS and corporate social performance (CSP). The influence of CSP on employee outcomes such as organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) has thus been similarly neglected. This paper seeks to investigate these missing links in literature using data collected from a sample of 700 employees in China. The findings demonstrate that HPWS is positively related to HPWS satisfaction and employees’ perceptions of CSP. HPWS satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between HPWS and employees’ affective commitment (AC). There are multiple mediators between HPWS and OCB, indicating more complicated mechanisms through which HPWS leads to desired HR outcomes. Employees’ perceived CSP has a significant influence on HPWS satisfaction, AC and OCB, suggesting firms should place a premium on achieving a reputation as being socially responsible.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aghazadeh, S. M., & Seyedian, M. (2004). The high-performance work system: Is it worth using? Team Performance Management, 10(3/4), 60–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aguilera, R., Rupp, D. E., Williams, C. A., & Ganapathi, J. (2007). Putting the s back in corporate social responsibility: A multilevel theory of social change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32(3), 836–863.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63, 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modelling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(1), 411–423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., & Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing advantage: Why high performance work systems pay off. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle, J. L. (2009). AMOS 18 user’s guide. Chicago: Amos Development Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakhshi, A., Sharma, A. D., & Kumar, K. (2011). Organizational commitment as predictor of organizational citizenship behaviour. European Journal of Business and Management, 3(4), 78–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, B. E., & Gerhart, B. (1996). Human resources and organizational performance: Progress and prospects. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 779–801.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boon, C. T., Paauwe, J., Boselie, P., & Den Hartog, D. (2009). Institutional pressures and HRM: Developing institutional fit. Personnel Review, 38(5), 492–508.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boselie, P., Brewster, C., & Paauwe, J. (2009). In search of balance–managing the dualities of HRM: An overview of the issues. Personnel Review, 38(5), 461–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boselie, P., & Dietz, G. (2003). Commonalities and contradictions in research on human resource management and performance. Seattle, WA: The Academy of Management Meetings.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boselie, P., Dietz, G., & Boon, C. (2005). Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance research. Human Resource Management Journal, 15(3), 67–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, D., & Ostroff, C. (2004). Understanding HRM-firm performance linkages: The role of the ‘strength’ of the HRM system. Academy of Management Review, 29(2), 203–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boxall, P., & Macky, K. (2009). Research and theory on high-performance work systems: progressing the high involvement stream. Human Resource Management Journal, 19(1), 3–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2008). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brislin, R. W. (1980). Translation and content analysis of oral and written material. In H. C. Triandis & J. W. Berry (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (pp. 389–444). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, E. (2005). Employees’ overall perception of HRM effectiveness. Human Relations, 58(4), 523–544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhuri, k. (2009a). A discussion on HPWS perception and employee behaviour. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 1(2), 27–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhuri, K. (2009b). An empirical quest for linkages between HPWS and employee behaviors—A perspective from the non managerial employees in Japanese Organizations. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 53, 621–635.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Z. X., & Francesco, A. M. (2003). The relationship between the three components of commitment and employee performance in China. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 62(3), 490–510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Combs, J., Liu, Y., Hall, A., & Ketchen, D. (2006). How much do high-performance work practices matter? A meta-analysis of their effects on organizational performance. Personnel Psychology, 59(3), 501–528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalai, R. (2005). A meta-analysis of the relationship between organizational citizenship behaviour and counterproductive work behaviour. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 1241–1255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danford, A., Richardson, M., Stewart, P., Tailby, S., & Upchurch, M. (2008). Partnership, high performance work systems and quality of working life. New Technology, Work and Employment, 23(3), 151–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Datta, D., Guthrie, J., & Wright, P. (2005). Human resource management and labor productivity: Does industry matter? Academy of Management Journal, 48(1), 135–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deephouse, D. L. (1999). To be different, or to be the same? It’s a question (and theory) of strategic balance. Strategic Management Journal, 20, 147–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delbridge, R., & Keenoy, T. (2010). Beyond managerialism? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(6), 799–817.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance predictions. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802–835.

    Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • DiStefano, C., Zhu, M., & Mîndrilă, D. (2009). Understanding and using factor scores: Considerations for the applied researcher. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 14(20), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond, I., & Stone, I. (2007). Exploring the potential of high performance work systems in SMEs. Employee Relations, 29(2), 192–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, L., & Reeves, T. (1995). Human resource strategies and firm performance: What do we know and where do we need to go? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 6(3), 656–670.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farias, G. F., & Varma, A. (1998). Research update: High performance work systems: What we know and what we need to know. Human Resources Planning, 21(2), 50–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farndale, E., Hope-Hailey, V., & Kelliher, C. (2011). High commitment performance management: The roles of justice and trust. Personnel Review, 40(1), 5–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feather, N. T., & Rauter, K. A. (2004). Organizational citizenship behaviours in relation to job status, job insecurity, organizational commitment and identification, job satisfaction and work values. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(1), 81–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Castro, R., Arino, M. A., & Canela, M. A. (2010). Does social performance really lead to financial performance? Accounting for endogeneity. Journal of Business Ethics, 92(1), 107–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerhart, B., Wright, P. M., McMahan, G. C., & Snell, S. A. (2000). Measurement error in research on human resources and firm performance: How much error is there and how does it influence effect size estimates? Personnel Psychology, 53(4), 803–834.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godard, J. (2004). A critical assessment of the high-performance paradigm. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 42(2), 340–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gond, J. P., El-Akremi, A., Igalens, J. & Swaen, V. (2010). Corporate social responsibility influence on employees. No.54-2010, ICCSR Research Paper Series ISSN 1479-5124.

  • Gong, Y., Chang, S., & Cheung, S. Y. (2010). High performance work system and collective OCB: A collective social exchange perspective. Human Resource Management Journal, 20(2), 119–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, J. W. (2009). Missing data analysis: Making it work in the real world. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 549–576.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, D. E. (1997). Human resource management and performance: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8(3), 263–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, D. (1998). Beyond HRM: Commitment and the contract culture. In P. S. M. Marchington (Ed.), Human resource management: The new agenda (pp. 37–51). London: FT/Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, D. (1999). ‘HRM: The workers’ verdict. Human Resource Management Journal, 9(3), 5–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, D. E. (2011). Human resource management and performance: Still searching for some answers. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(1), 3–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guthrie, J. P. (2001). High-involvement work practices, turnover and productivity: Evidence from New Zealand. Academy of Management Journal, 44(1), 180–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1992). Multivariate data analysis. New York: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harley, B. (2005). Hope or hype? High performance work system. In B. Harley, J. Hyman, & P. Thompson (Eds.), Participation and democracy at work: Essays in honour of Harvie Ramsay (pp. 38–54). Houndmills: Palgrave Mackmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, A. W., & Rainer, R. K. (1996). A general measure of user computing satisfaction. Computers in Human Behaviour, 12(1), 79–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haslam, A. S. (2001). Psychology in organizations—The social identity approach. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesketh, A., & Fleetwood, S. (2006). Beyond measuring the human resources management-organizational performance link: Applying critical realist meta-theory. Organization, 13(5), 677–700.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homans, G. C. (1958). Social behaviour as exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 63(6), 597–606.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1998). Fit indices in covariance structure modelling: Sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification. Psychological Methods, 3(4), 424–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, L. R., Mulaik, S. A., & Brett, J. M. (2006). A tale of two methods. Organizational Research Methods, 9(2), 233–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keegan, A., & Boselie, P. (2006). The lack of impact of dissensus inspired analysis on developments in the field of human resource management. Journal of Management Studies, 43(7), 1491–1511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keenoy, T. (2009). Human resource management. In M. Alvesson, T. Bridgman, & H. Willmott (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of critical management studies (pp. 454–472). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (1998). Principles and practices of structural equation modelling. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroon, B., van de Voorde, K., & van Veldhoven, M. (2009). Cross-level effects of high-performance work practices on burnout. Personnel Review, 38(5), 509–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lam, S. K., Hui, C., & Law, K. S. (1999). Organizational citizenship behaviour: Comparing perspectives of supervisors and subordinates across four international samples. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 594–601.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawler, J., Chen, S. J., Wu, P. C., Bae, J., & Bai, B. (2011). High performance work systems in foreign subsidiaries of American multinationals: An institutional model’. Journal of International Business Studies, 42(2), 202–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • LePine, J. A., Erez, A., & Johnson, D. E. (2002). The nature and dimensionality of organizational citizenship behavior: A critical review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 52–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macky, K., & Boxall, P. (2007). The relationship between high-performance work practices and employee attitudes: An investigation of additive and interaction effects. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(4), 537–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maignan, I., & Ferrell, O. C. (2000). Measuring corporate citizenship in two countries: The case of the United States and France. Journal of Business Ethics, 23, 283–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maignan, I., Ferrell, O. C., & Hult, G. T. (1999). Corporate citizenship: cultural antecedents and business benefits. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27(4), 455–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra, N. K., Kim, S. S., & Patil, A. (2006). Common method variance in IS research: A comparison of alternative approaches and a reanalysis of past research. Management Science, 52(12), 1865–1883.

    Google Scholar 

  • McWilliams, A., Siegel, D., & Wright, P. M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility: Strategic implications. Journal of Management Studies, 43(1), 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, P. J., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. P., & Smith, C. A. (2000). HRM practices and organizational commitment: Test of a mediation model. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 17(4), 319–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D., & Cook, K. S. (1995). Social exchange and social networks. In K. S. Cook, G. A. Fine, & J. S. House (Eds.), Sociological perspectives on social psychology (pp. 209–235). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, E. W. (1996). Organizational citizenship behavior as a critical link between HRM practices and service quality. Human Resource Management, 35(4), 493–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organ, D. W. (1988). Organizational citizenship behaviour: The good soldier syndrome. Lexington, MA: DC Heath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organ, D. W., & Ryan, K. (1995). A meta-analytic review of attitudinal and dispositional predictors of organizational citizenship behavior. Personnel Psychology, 48(4), 775–802.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlitzky, M., & Frenkel, S. J. (2005). Alternative pathways to high-performance workplaces. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(8), 1325–1348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlitzky, M., Schmidt, F. L., & Rynes, S. L. (2003). Corporate social and financial performance: A meta-analysis. Organization Studies, 24(3), 403–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and performance: Achieving long-term viability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paauwe, J. (2009). HRM and performance: Achievement, methodological issues and prospects. Journal of Management Studies, 46(1), 129–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P. (2005). HRM and performance: What next? Human Resource Management Journal, 15(4), 68–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, D. K. (2004). The relationship between perceptions of corporate citizenship and organizational commitment. Business and Society, 43(3), 296–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, R., & Freeman, R. E. (2003). Stakeholder theory and organizational ethics. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual Review of Psychology, 63(1), 539–569.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, L. W., Steers, R. M., Mowday, R. T., & Boulian, P. V. (1974). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover among psychiatric technicians. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59(5), 603–609.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsay, H., Scholarios, D., & Harley, B. (2000). Employees and high performance work systems: Testing inside the black box. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38(4), 501–531.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothenberg, S. L. & Hull, C. E. (2008). The impact of human resource management on social performance. Working paper. Saunders College of Business, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

  • Rupp, D. E., Gananpathi, J., Aguilera, R. V., & Williams, C. A. (2006). Employees’ reactions to corporate social responsibility: An organizational justice framework. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 27(4), 537–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schappe, P. (1998). The influence of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and fairness perceptions on organizational citizenship behaviour. The Journal of Psychology, 132(3), 277–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, J., & Zhu, J. H. (2011). Effects of socially responsible human resource management on employee organizational commitment. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(5), 3020–3035.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shore, L. M., & Wayne, S. J. (1993). Commitment and employee behaviour: Comparison of affective commitment and continuance commitment with perceived Organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(5), 774–780.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. A., Organ, D. W., & Near, J. P. (1983). Organizational citizenship behaviour: Its nature and antecedents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68(4), 653–663.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E. (2006). Method variance in organizational research: Truth or urban legend? Organizational Research Method, 9(2), 221–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steyaert, C., & Janssens, M. (2009). HRM and performance: A plea for reflexivity in HRM studies. Journal of Management Studies, 46(1), 143–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, L. Y., Aryee, S., & Law, K. (2007). High-performance human resource practices, citizenship behaviour and organizational performance: A relational perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 558–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swaen, V., & Maignan, I. (2003). Organizational citizenship and corporate citizenship: Two constructs, one research theme? In S. L. True & L. Pelton (Eds.), Business rites, writs and responsibilities: Readings on ethics and social impact management (pp. 107–134). Kennesaw, Georgia: Kennesaw State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, D. L., & Niehoff, P. (2001). Business citizenship outside and inside organizations. In J. Andriof & M. McIntosh (Eds.), Perspective on corporate citizenship (pp. 104–116). Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of inter-group behavior. In S. Worchel & L. W. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takeuchi, R., Lepak, D. P., Wang, H., & Takeuchi, K. (2007a). An empirical examination of the mechanisms mediating between high-performance work systems and the performance of Japanese organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 1069–1083.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takeuchi, N., Takeuchi, T., & Toshima, Y. (2007). Fitting with organizations or jobs? A multilevel investigation of HR effects on employee behaviours. Discussion paper series No.2 JAASDP2007-2E, The Japanese Association of Administrative Science.

  • Theriou, G. N., & Chatzoglou, P. D. (2009). Exploring the best HRM practices-performance relationship: An empirical approach. Journal of Workplace Learning, 21(8), 614–646.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tosi, H. L., & Mero, N. P. (2003). The fundamentals of organizational behaviour: What managers need to know. Maiden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, C. J. (2006). High performance work systems and organizational performance: An empirical study of Taiwan’s semiconductor design firms. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(9), 1512–1530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Voorde, K., Paauwe, J., & van Veldhoven, M. (2012). Employee well-being and the HRM-organizational performance relationship: A review of quantitative studies. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14, 391–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waddock, S. A., & Graves, S. B. (1997). The corporate social performance—Financial performance link. Strategic Management Journal, 18(4), 303–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wall, T. D., Michie, J., Patterson, M., Wood, S. J., Sheehan, M., Clegg, C. W., et al. (2004). On the validity of subjective measures of company performance. Personnel Psychology, 57(1), 95–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Way, S. A. (2002). High performance work systems and intermediate indicators of firm performance within the US small business sector. Journal of Management, 28(6), 765–785.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, D. J. (2010). Measuring corporate social performance: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 50–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, D. J., & Jones, R. E. (1995). Stakeholder mismatching: A theoretical problem in empirical research on corporate social performance. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 3(3), 229–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., & Gardner, T. M. (2003). The human resource-firm performance relationship: Methodological and theoretical challenges. In D. Holman, T. D. Wall, C. W. Clegg, P. Sparrow, & A. Howard (Eds.), The new workplace: A guide to the human impact of modern working practices (pp. 311–328). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., Gardner, T. M., & Moynihan, L. M. (2003). The impact of HR practices on the performance of business units. Human Resource Management Journal, 13(3), 21–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource management. Journal of Management, 18(2), 295–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., & Nishii, L. H. (2012). Strategic human resource management and organizational behaviour: Exploring variance as an integrating framework. In J. Paauwe, D. Guest, & P. Wright (Eds.), HRM and performance: Achievements and challenges (pp. 97–110). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, Z., & Björkman, I. (2006). High commitment work systems in chinese organizations: A preliminary measure. Management and Organization Review, 2(3), 403–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zacharatos, A., Barling, J., & Iverson, R. D. (2005). High-performance work systems and occupational safety. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(1), 77–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, D. (2010). The impact of employees’ perception of corporate social responsibility on job attitudes and behaviors: A study in China. Dissertations and theses collection, Singapore Management University.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingqiong Zhang.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 3.

Table 3 A high-performance work system (HPWS) scale

Appendix 2

See Table 4.

Table 4 Social performance scale

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, M., Di Fan, D. & Zhu, C.J. High-Performance Work Systems, Corporate Social Performance and Employee Outcomes: Exploring the Missing Links. J Bus Ethics 120, 423–435 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1672-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1672-8

Keywords

Navigation