How do high-performance work system affect individual outcomes? A multilevel perspective

Abstract

Research on high-performance work systems (HPWS) has suggested that a potential
disconnection may exist between organizational-level HPWS and employee experienced
HPWS. However, few studies have identified factors that are implied within such
a relationship. Using a sample of 397 employees, 84 line managers, and 21 HR
executives in China, we examined whether line managers’ goal congruence can reduce
the difference between organizational-level HPWS and employee experienced HPWS.
Furthermore, this study also theorized and tested organization-based self-esteem
(OBSE) as a mediator in the associations between employee experienced HPWS and
job performance and job satisfaction. Using multilevel analyses, we found that line
managers’ goal congruence strengthened the relationship between organizational-level
HPWS and employee experienced HPWS, such that the relationship was significant
and positive when line managers’ goal congruence was high, but a non-significant
relationship when line managers’ goal congruence was low. Moreover, employee
experienced HPWS indirectly affected job performance and job satisfaction through the
mechanism of OBSE beyond social exchange perspective.