High-performance work systems and thriving at work: the role of cognitive appraisal and servant leadership

Zhining Wang, Shuang Ren, Lijun Meng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a balanced and nuanced understanding of the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and employee thriving at work by aiming to consider the “dark-side” of HPWS and to uncover the “black box.”

Design/methodology/approach
This research draws from data from 377 employees nested in 77 work teams and tests a multilevel moderated mediation model using multilevel path analysis.

Findings
The findings indicate that employees appraise HPWS as both a challenge and a hindrance simultaneously. The challenge appraisal associated with HPWS positively influences employees' thriving at work whereas hindrance appraisal of HPWS negatively influences thriving experience. The results also support the hypothesized relationships in which servant leadership moderates the indirect effect of HPWS on employee thriving via challenge and hindrance appraisals accordingly.

Originality/value
This research demonstrates both positive and negative sides of HPWS as evaluated by employees in relation to an important employee outcome of thriving at work. It enriches the strategic HRM literature by identifying the “black box” of HPWS-employee outcomes and associated boundary condition from the theoretical perspective of cognitive appraisals.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1749-1771
JournalPersonnel Review
Volume51
Issue number7
Early online date20 Jul 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Aug 2022
Externally publishedYes

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