Human resource management practice I also available by michael armstrong

Critical evaluation of the  

high-performance work system 

approach

Research conducted by Ramsay et al (2000) aimed 

to explore linkages from HPWS practices to employee 

outcomes, and via these to organizational perform-

ance.  They  referred  to  the  existence  of  the ‘black 

box’,  meaning  that  while  the  introduction  of  an 

HPWS may be associated with improved perform-

ance, no researchers have yet established how this 

happens. They commented that ‘the widely held view 

that  positive  performance  outcomes  from  HPWS 

flow via positive employee outcomes has been shown 

to be highly questionable’ (ibid: 521).

Godard (2001) concluded, following his research in 

Canada, that the actual effects of high-performance 

work systems can vary considerably and many have 

a  limited  lifespan.  Following  further  research,  he 

commented in 2004 that:

The full adoption of this (high performance) 

paradigm may not yield outcomes that are 

appreciably more positive than those yielded 

by practices that have long been associated 

with good management, including professional 

personnel practices (eg job ladders, employment 

security, grievance systems, formal training, 

above-market pay), group work organization, 

information sharing and accommodative union 

relations policies... There may be positive effects 

in some workplaces. However, these effects may 

be inherently more limited than assumed and, in 

a great many workplaces, may not be sufficient to 

justify full adoption.

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