Evolution of Strategic Human Resource Management trough the Lens of High Performance Work System

Abstract

The article represents critical revision of the Strategic Human Resource Management concept evolution with a special attention to High Performance Work Systems (HPWS). The goal of the article is to reveal the list of patterns which could a) help in recognizing exploited HPWS, and b) guide in exploration of the best-fit solution, diminishing significant issues: instability of the HPWS outcomes, equifinality of practices, and conceptual bias of key terms. Fundamental HPWS were reconstructed with the «path-dependence» method, which helped to discover their roots in the Porter’s market positioning strategy, the Resource Based View or the Dynamic Capabilities approach to corporate strategies. The theoretical thematic analysis on a latent level allowed to deal with the revealed key terms’ bias. The flexibility within HPWS configuration is allowed, due to a deeper level of analyses: the attention moves from the set of practices to the expected personnel response and key values related to employees. The paper introduces three basic latent reference standards (LRS), which, similarly to the additive RGB color model, could be added together to reproduce a broad array of different SHRM. Each referent standard was “locked in” under certain limitations associated with the strategic orientations of the company, the degree of legitimization of the identified HPWS, the specificity of key objectives related to organizational health. Accounting of these factors allowed to reduce HPWS results’ inconsistency. This is a conceptual paper; offered theoretical findings should be tested empirically. Despite broadening the focus by adding issues of identity and organizational health, deductive approach still means narrowing researchers’ attention. The findings are of interest for such areas as HRM, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, Change Management, Sustainable Development and CSR.