Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T04:00:19.243Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Linking high-performance work systems to work engagement: exploring the mediating role of perceived internal marketability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2023

Xue-Yuan Xiong Open the ORCID record for Xue-Yuan Xiong [Opens in a new window]
Xue-Yuan Xiong*
Affiliation:
School of Business Administration, Chongqing Technology and Business University, No. 19, Xuefu Ave, Chongqing, China
*
Email: xiongxy@ctbu.edu.cn
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The uncertainty and insecurity generated by COVID-19 has greatly reshaped work styles, bringing employees more strain and less engagement and subsequently making human resource management (HRM) more challenging. There has been a growing interest in employee work engagement in the field of HRM. This study utilized positive psychology and the job demands-resources model to explore the mediating mechanism between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and employee work engagement. Based on survey data from 71 senior HR managers and 288 employees of 71 China's manufacturing state-owned enterprises, multilevel structural equation modeling shows that HPWS is positively related to work engagement. Employee-perceived internal marketability fully mediates the relationship between HPWS and work engagement. The key result of this paper is that employee-perceived internal marketability is seen as a core personal psychological resource that can be developed through HPWS to benefit both employers and employees.

Keywords

high-performance work systems (HPWS)perceived internal marketabilitythe JD-R modelwork engagementcareer
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , First View , pp. 1 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alfes, K., Veld, M., & Furstenberg, N. (2021). The relationship between perceived high-performance work systems, combinations of human resource well-being and human resource performance attributions and engagement. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(3), 729–752. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ang, S. H., Bartram, T., Mcneil, N., Leggat, S. G., & Stanton, P. (2013). The effects of high-performance work systems on hospital employees' work attitudes and intention to leave: A multi-level and occupational group analysis. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(16), 3086–3114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., & Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing advantage: Why high-performance work systems pay off. New York: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Arthur, J. B. (1994). Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 670–687. https://doi.org/10.2307/256705.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bakker Arnold, B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barthauer, L., Kaucher, P., Spurk, D., & Kauffeld, S. (2020). Burnout and career (un)sustainability: Looking into the blackbox of burnout triggered career turnover intentions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chan, D. (1998). The conceptualization and analysis of change over time: An integrative approach incorporating longitudinal mean and covariance structures analysis (LMACS) and multiple indicator latent growth modeling (MLGM). Organizational Research Methods, 1(4), 421–483. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442819814004.CrossRefGoogle 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. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2006.00045.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooke, F. L., Cooper, B., Bartram, T., Wang, J., & Mei, H. (2019). Mapping the relationships between high-performance work systems, employee resilience and engagement: A study of the banking industry in China. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(8), 1239–1260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1137618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Raeder, S., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Wittekind, A. (2012). The association between workers’ employability and burnout in a reorganization context: Longitudinal evidence building upon the conservation of resources theory. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17(2), 162–174. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delery, J. E., & Roumpi, D. (2017). Strategic human resource management, human capital and competitive advantage: Is the field going in circles? Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.86.3.499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Vos, A., De Hauw, S., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. (2011). Competency development and career success: The mediating role of employability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(2), 438–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.05.010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eby, L. T., Butts, M., & Lockwood, A. (2003). Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), 689–708. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feldman, D. C., & Ng, T. W. H. (2007). Careers: Mobility, embeddedness, and success. Journal of Management, 33(3), 350–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307300815.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feng, M., Li, J.-J., & Xiong, X.-Y. (2022). Institutional pressures, high-performance work systems, and marketability: The moderating role of organizational inertia. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863221096164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forrier, A., De Cuyper, N., & Akkermans, J. (2018). The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall: Provoking the agency perspective in employability research. Human Resource Management Journal, 28(4), 511–523. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Godard, J. (2004). A critical assessment of the high-performance paradigm. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 42(2), 349–378. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2004.00318.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haines, V., Y., Hamouche, S., & Saba, T. (2014). Career success: Fit or marketability? Career Development International, 19(7), 779–793. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-02-2014-0023.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamouche, S. (2021). Human resource management and the COVID-19 crisis: Implications, challenges, opportunities, and future organizational directions. Journal of Management & Organization, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Han, J., Sun, J.-M., & Wang, H.-L. (2020). Do high performance work systems generate negative effects? How and when? Human Resource Management Review, 30(2), 100699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.100699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E. (2002). Social and psychological resources and adaptation. Review of General Psychology, 6(4), 307–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.6.4.307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofmann, D. A. (1997). An overview of the logic and rationale of hierarchical linear models. Journal of Management, 23(6), 723–744. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639702300602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, Y. F., Ma, Z. Z., & Meng, Y. (2018). High-performance work systems and employee engagement: Empirical evidence from China. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56(3), 341–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12140.CrossRefGoogle 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. https://doi.org/10.2307/256741.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, J. M., Patel, P. C., & Messersmith, J. G. (2013). High-performance work systems and job control: Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions. Journal of Management, 39(6), 1699–1724. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311419663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karatepe, O. M., & Olugbade, O. A. (2016). The mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between high-performance work practices and job outcomes of employees in Nigeria. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(10), 2350–2371. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-03-2015-0145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kloutsiniotis, P. V., & Mihail, D. M. (2017). Linking innovative human resource practices, employee attitudes and intention to leave in healthcare services. Employee Relations, 39(1), 34–53. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-11-2015-0205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kloutsiniotis, P. V., & Mihail, D. M. (2020). Is it worth it? Linking perceived high-performance work systems and emotional exhaustion: The mediating role of job demands and job resources. European Management Journal, 38(4), 565–579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2019.12.012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knight, C., Patterson, M., & Dawson, J. (2017). Building work engagement: A systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of work engagement interventions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(6), 792–812. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kroon, B. (2009). Cross-level effects of high-performance work practices on burnout. Personnel Review, 38(5), 509–525. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480910978027.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Little, T. D., Cunningham, W. A., Shahar, G., & Widaman, K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 9(2), 151–173. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328007sem0902_1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, D., Gong, Y., Zhou, J., & Huang, J.-C. (2017). Human resource systems, employee creativity, and firm innovation: The moderating role of firm ownership. Academy of Management Journal, 60(3), 1164–1188. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luthans, F. (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(6), 695–706. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luu, T. T. (2019). Service-oriented high-performance work systems and service-oriented behaviours in public organizations: The mediating role of work engagement. Public Management Review, 21(6), 789–816. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2018.1526314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., & Williams, J. (2004). Confidence limits for the indirect effect: Distribution of the product and resampling methods. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39(1), 99–128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr3901_4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ogbonnaya, C., & Valizade, D. (2018). High performance work practices, employee outcomes and organizational performance: A 2-1-2 multilevel mediation analysis. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(2), 239–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1146320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ployhart, R. E., & Vandenberg, R. J. (2009). Longitudinal research: The theory, design, and analysis of change. Journal of Management, 36(1), 94–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309352110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podsakoff, P., MacKenzie, S., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preacher, K. J., Zhang, Z., & Zyphur, M. J. (2011). Alternative methods for assessing mediation in multilevel data: The advantages of multilevel SEM. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 18(2), 161–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2011.557329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preacher, K. J., Zyphur, M. J., & Zhang, Z. (2010). Supplemental material for a general multilevel SEM framework for assessing multilevel mediation. Psychological Methods, 15(3), 209–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020141.CrossRefGoogle 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. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/1467-8543.00178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riaz, S. (2016). High performance work systems and organizational performance: An empirical study on manufacturing and service organizations in Pakistan. Public Organization Review, 16(4), 421–442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-015-0315-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richard, G. (2013). Psychology and life (20th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.Google Scholar
Salmela-Aro, K., & Upadyaya, K. (2018). Role of demands-resources in work engagement and burnout in different career stages. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 108, 190–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.08.002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015630930326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2014). A critical review of the job demands-resources model: Implications for improving work and health. In Bauer, G. F. & Hämmig, O. (Eds.), Bridging occupational, organizational and public health (pp. 43–68). Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5640-3_4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shimazu, A., Schaufeli, W. B., Kamiyama, K., & Kawakami, N. (2014). Workaholism vs. Work engagement: The two different predictors of future well-being and performance. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 22(1), 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-014-9410-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spector, P. E., & Brannick, M. T. (2010). Methodological urban legends: The misuse of statistical control variables. Organizational Research Methods, 14(2), 287–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428110369842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spurk, D., Kauffeld, S., Meinecke, A. L., & Ebner, K. (2015). Why do adaptable people feel less insecure? Indirect effects of career adaptability on job and career insecurity via two types of perceived marketability. Journal of Career Assessment, 24(2), 289–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072715580415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stephen, W. R., & Anthony, S. B. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.Google Scholar
Su, Z.-X. (2010). High-performance human resource management system in transitional China: A contextualizing research. Nankai Business Review, 13(4), 99–108. http://dx.chinadoi.cn/10.3969/j.issn.1008-3448.2010.04.012.Google Scholar
Su, Z.-X., & Wright, P. M. (2012). The effective human resource management system in transitional China: A hybrid of commitment and control practices. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(10), 2065–2086. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2011.610335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, L.-Y., Aryee, S., & Law, K. S. (2007). High-performance human resource practices, citizenship behavior, and organizational performance: A relational perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 558–577. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2007.25525821.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C., & Brislin, R. W. (1984). Cross-cultural psychology. American Psychologist, 39(9), 1006–1016. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.39.9.1006.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van De Voorde, K., Veld, M., & Van Veldhoven, M. (2016). Connecting empowerment-focused HRM and labour productivity to work engagement: The mediating role of job demands and resources. Human Resource Management Journal, 26(2), 192–210. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12099.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, W., Nawakitphaitoon, K., Huang, W., Harney, B., Gollan, P. J., & Xu, C. Y. (2019). Towards better work in China: Mapping the relationships between high-performance work systems, trade unions, and employee well-being. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 57(4), 553–576. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, M., Zhu, C. J., Dowling, P. J., & Bartram, T. (2013). Exploring the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on the work-related well-being of Chinese hospital employees. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(16), 3196–3212. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.775026.CrossRefGoogle Scholar