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The intensity of the implementation of high-performance work practices in

selected Sri Lankan companies

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 artykuły
Społeczeństwo i Rodzina nr 56 (3/2018) / s. 69–95 / ISSN 1734-6614 / © by WZPiNoS KUL

Y. Anuradha Iddagoda, Henarath H.D.N.P. Opatha

The intensity of the implementation

of high-performance work practices
in selected Sri Lankan companies

Introduction
According to Brigitte Kroon et al., high-performance work practices (HPWPs)
are human resource management (HRM) practices designed to increase orga-
nizational performance while motivating the employees1. There are still short-
comings in the literature such as confusion about the term of HPWPs and
about the HPWPs bundle. A working definition of HPWPs helps to minimize
the confusion about HPWPs. Identifying the intensity of the implementation of
HPWPs in opinion of the executives and managers of selected companies from
Sri Lanka is also noteworthy. According to Sudatta Ranasinghe, in Sri Lankan
business context, HPWPs in HRM are implemented in industries such as IT and
telecommunication2. Ranasinghe further states that lack of awareness of the role

1
B. Kroon, K. Van De Voorde, J. Timmers, High performance work practices in small
firms: a resource-poverty and strategic decision-making perspective, “Small Business
Economics” 2013, vol. 41, no. 1, p. 71–91.
2
S. Ranasinghe, HR challenges in a developing economy: towards multiple roles of HR
professionals in a competitive business environment, in: S. Ranasinghe, A. Dharmasiri
(eds.), HR challenge: dynamics of value creation and competitiveness through people,
Colombo 2013, p. 1–39.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 69

that HRM may play in business development, with a resultant disinclination
for change in HRM structure and processes, is obvious3.
In the above-mentioned context, this paper endeavors to address the issue of
the confusion regarding synonymous terms for HPWS, a bundle of HPWPs, a wor-
king definition of HPWPs, operationalization of the variable of HPWPs, reliability
and validity of HPWPs, and to identify the intensity of the implementation of
HPWPs in opinion of the managerial employees in selected Sri Lankan companies.

Methodology
The archival method was used as recommended by David Tranfield et al.4 This
approach involves describing data that existed before the time of the study. The
questionnaire used to collect data was developed with proper conceptualization
and operationalization. The respondents were the executives and managers of
selected Sri Lankan companies. The scaling technique employed in this study
was the 5-point Likert scale with the following items: “strongly agree”, “agree”,
“neutral”, “disagree” and “strongly disagree”. The researchers used non-probabi-
lity sampling. The sample of this study totaled 272 respondents. When forming
the sample, we adhered to the rule given by John T. Roscoe5, as cited in Uma
Sekaran6, that the sample size should be larger than 30 and less than 500. The
population was 614 and the response rate – 50 percent. For the analysis, the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences 23 (SPSS 23) was used.

High-performance work system and its synonyms

It is evident that today’s business world focuses more on the high-perfor-
mance work system (HPWS) than in the past because of, according to Peter
Boxall & Keith Macky, its strong effect on value addition of an organization

3
Ibidem.
4
D. Tranfield, D. Denyer, P. Smart, Towards a methodology for developing evidence-
-informed, management knowledge by means of systematic review, “British Journal of
Management” 2003, vol. 14, no. 3, p. 207–222.
5
J.T. Roscoe, Fundamental research statistics for the behavioral sciences, New York 1975.
6
U. Sekaran, Research methods for business: a skill building approach, New Delhi 2006.

70
 artykuły
through HRM7. Gary Dessler states that the high-performance work system
is an integrated set of human resource management policies and practices8.
Michael Armstrong points out that the objective of HPWS is to establish a high-
-performance culture. The combination of norms, values and HR practices in
an organization enhances high levels of employee job performance9.
Different synonymous terms are used to describe the high-performance
work system. They include “high-performance work practices”, “high-involve-
ment work practices”, “high-commitment employment practices”, “alternative
work practices” and “high-performance human resource management” (see
table 1). David N Ashton & Johnny Sung, Jody H. Gittell et al., and Pedro Ferreira
et al. believe that there is a common thread among all these terms10.

Table 1. Synonymous terms for HPWS

Synonyms for Importance Practices Authors

HPWS
High-perfor- Increase empo- Flexible work conditions, H. Ramsay, D.
mance work werment of the profit sharing, team- Scholarios, B.
practices employees, enhance work, job rotation, flat Harley, 2000, p.
their skills, arranging hierarchy. 501–531; P. Fer-
appropriate incen- reira, N. Porto,
tives, formulating M. Portela, 2010.
ways to stay them
motivated and
eventually create
a powerful, dedicated
workforce that would
keep on matching
with organizational,
market and social
requirements.

P. Boxall, K. Macky, High-performance work systems and organisational performance: bridging

7

theory and practice, “Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources” 2007, vol. 45, no. 3, p. 261–270.
8 G. Dessler, Human resource management, Upper Saddle River – New Delhi 2009, p. 91.
9 M. Armstrong, Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice, London
– Philadelphia – New Delhi 2014, p. 58; see also: G. Dessler, op. cit., p. 56.
10 D.N. Ashton, J. Sung, Supporting workplace learning for high performance working,
Geneve 2002; J.H. Gittell, R. Seidner, J. Wimbush, A relational model of how high-
-performance work systems work, “Organization Science” 2010, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 490–506;
P. Ferreira, N. Porto, M. Portela, Women’s participation in high performance work
practices: a comparative analysis of Portugal and Spain, paper presented at the 19th
International Conference AEDEM “Global Financial & Business Networks and Infor-
mation Management Systems”, Minsk (Belarus), 2–3 September 2010.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 71

 High-involve- Bring improvements Teamwork, P. Boxall, K.
ment work in employee auto- information sharing, Macky, 2007,
practices nomy, their skills and flexible job design. p. 261–270;
knowledge. F.K. Pil, J.P.
Macduffie, 1996,
p. 423–455.
High-commit- Increase 1) Sophisticated selection E. Farndale, V.
ment organizational and training, emphasi- Hope­‐Hailey,
employment commitment and zing values and human C. Kelliher,
practices influence relation skills as well as 2011, p. 5–23; J.
organizational knowledge skills. Godard, 2004, p.
performance. 2) Behavior-based appra- 349–378.
isal and
advancement criteria.
3) Single status policies.
4) Contingent pay sys-
tems, especially pay for
knowledge, group bonu-
ses and profit sharing.
5) Job security.
6) Above-market pay and
benefits.
(7) Grievance systems.
Alternative Increase organizatio- 1) Alternative job design J. Godard, 2004,
work practices nal performance practices, including work p. 349–378;
teams (autonomous or M. Armstrong,
non-autonomous), job 2010.
enrichment, job rotation
and related reforms.
2) Formal participatory
practices, including
quality circles or pro-
blem-solving groups,
town hall meetings,
team briefings and joint
steering committees.
High-perfor- Develop the skill and Incentives systems, J. Horgan, P.
mance human motivation of the training, sharing arran- Mühlau, 2006, p.
resource workforce, is consi- gements, guidance and 414–439.
management dered to contribute selective recruitment.
to the “bottom-line”
of companies.

Source: P. Ferreira, I. Neira, E. Vieira, 2010.

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 artykuły
High-performance work practices
According to Michael Armstrong, the high-performance work system (HPWS)
is the most commonly used in both academic and practitioner circles11. Resear-
chers prefer to call it “high-performance work practices” (HPWPs). Longman
dictionary of contemporary English defines “system” as “a group of related parts
that work together as a whole for a particular purpose”12 while The concise Oxford
dictionary of English etymology defines “scheme” as a “proposed or operational
systematic arrangement”13. In this light, “pay for performance” is a scheme, but
when we use it continuously, it becomes a practice.
Brigitte Kroon et al. reveal that HPWPs are HRM practices aimed at increasing
employee performance and organizational efficiency14. Pedro Ferreira et al. state
that HPWP is a HR system made up of new structures of work organization, inc-
luding flexible human resource practices based on empowerment and employee
involvement15. David N. Ashton & Johnny Sung point out that HPWPs create
a working environment that fosters employees’ personal growth and organizational
productivity. They state that HPWPs consist of novel ways of getting employees
to participate in the decision-making process, organizing work and rewarding
performance16. According to Ashton & Sung, HPWPs produce a win-win situ-
ation17. Y. Anuradha Iddagoda & Henarath H.D.N.P. Opatha18 state that the impact
of HPWPs on organizational performance is self-evident. The organization that
practices HPWPs produces outcomes such as increased productivity and profits19,
and thereby provide competitive advantage for the relevant organizations20.

11
M. Armstrong, Armstrong’s handbook of reward management practice: improving
performance through reward, London – Philadelphia 2010, p. 109.
12
Entry: System, in: Longman dictionary of contemporary English, Harlow 1995, p. 1463.
13
T.F. Hoad, The concise Oxford dictionary of English etymology, Oxford 1993.
14
B. Kroon, K. Van De Voorde, J. Timmers, op. cit., p. 71–91.
15
P. Ferreira, I. Neira, E. Vieira, The influence of human capital of the workforce in the
adoption of high-performance work systems: the case of Portugal and Spain, paper
presented at the 19th Meeting of the Economics of Education Association, Saragossa
(Spain), 8–9 July 2010.
16
D.N. Ashton, J. Sung, op. cit., p. 1–2.
17
Ibidem, p. VII.
18
Y.A. Iddagoda, H.H.D.N.P. Opatha, Identified research gaps in employee engagement,
“International Business Research” 2016, vol. 10, no. 2, p. 63.
19
P. Tamkin, High performance work practices, Brighton 2004, p. 13.
20
B.J.H. Arachchige, A. Robertson, The effect of human resource management high per-
formance work practices on organisational outcomes: a Sri Lankan perspective, “Sri
Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management” 2015, vol. 5, no. 1, p. 17–30.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 73

A bundle of high-performance work practices
HR practices, when grouped in a sensible way, are known as a “bundle”. The
correct bundle of HPWPs can be used to improve employee performance. John
Paul McDuffie and David N. Ashton & Johnny Sung believe that the bundles
of internally consistent and interrelated HR practices are more suitable than
individual HR practices21. Many researchers present high-performance work
practice sets (see table 2). Michael Armstrong observes that there is no standard
list of features or components of a bundle of HPWPs22.

Table 2. High-performance work practices

Author Year High-performance work practices

Pfeffer 1994 1) Employment security.
2) Selectivity in training.
3) High wages.
4) Incentive pay.
5) Employee ownership (share ownership and profit sharing).
6) Information sharing.
7) Participation and empowerment.
8) Teams and job design.
9) Training and skill development.
10) Cross utilization and cross training.
11) Symbolic egalitarianism (equality of treatment among
employees).
12) Wage compression (the size of the pay differences among employ-
ees is reduced).
13) Promotion from within.
14) Long-term perspective.
15) Measurement of practices.
16) Overarching philosophy (underlying management philosophy
connecting the various individual practices into a coherent whole).
Huselid 1995 1) Compensation and performance management systems.
2) Extensive employee involvement and training.

J.P. Macduffie, Human resource bundles and manufacturing performance: organizational

21

logic and flexible production systems in the world auto industry, “Industrial & Labor
Relations Review” 1995, vol. 48, no. 2, p. 197–221; D.N. Ashton, J. Sung, op. cit., p. 56.
22 M. Armstrong, Armstrong’s handbook of reward management practice, p. 109.

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 artykuły
Guest 2000 1) Realistic job previews.
2) Psychometric tests for selection.
3) Well-developed induction training.
4) Provision of extensive training for experienced employees.
5) Regular appraisals.
6) Regular feedback on performance from many sources.
7) Individual performance-related pay.
8) Profit-related bonuses.
9) Flexible job descriptions.
10) Multi-skilling.
11) Presence of work improvement teams.
12) Presence of problem-solving groups.
13) Information provided on the firm’s business plan.
14) Information provided on the firm’s performance targets.
15) No compulsory redundancies.
16) Avoidance of voluntary redundancies.
17) Commitment to single status.
18) Harmonized holiday entitlement.
Ashton 2002 The four bundles of HPWPs:
& Sung 1) Work design / employee involvement (multi-skilling, quality circ-
les, TQM, team working, self-directed teams).
2) Support for performance/training (annual performance reviews,
peer review / 360-degree appraisal, personal development plan, job
rotation / cross training, mentoring, training for trainers).
3) Rewarding performance (group-based compensation, profit sha-
ring, employee share ownership).
4) Communication and information sharing (regular meetings of the
entire workforce, consultative committees, staff attitude surveys).
Appel- 2000 1) Work is organized to permit front-line workers to participate in
baum et decisions that alter organizational routines.
al. 2) Workers require more skills to do their jobs successfully, and many
of these skills are firm specific.
3) Workers experience greater autonomy over their job tasks and
methods of work.
4) Incentive pay motivates workers to extend extra effort on develo-
ping skills.
5) Employment security provides front-line workers with a long-term
stake in the company and a reason to invest in its future.
Sung & 2005 Bundle of 35 complementary work practices covering three broad
Ashton areas:
1) High employee involvement work practices, e.g. self-directed
teams, quality circles and sharing / access to company information.
2) Human resource practices, e.g. sophisticated recruitment processes,
performance appraisals, mentoring and work redesign.
3) Reward and commitment practices, e.g. various financial rewards,
family-friendly policies, job rotation and flexi hours.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 75

 Hor- 2006 1) Selection.
gan & 2) Training.
Mühlau 3) Mentoring.
4) Incentives.
5) Knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
Dessler 1) Employment security.
2009 2) Selective hiring.
3) Extensive training.
4) Self-managed teams.
5) Decentralized decision-making.
6) Information sharing.
7) Contingent (pay-for-performance) rewards.
8) Transformational leadership (e.g. in terms of inspirational
motivation).
The most common practices considered under the concept of HPWPs are
recruitment and selection, training and development, pay management and per-
formance management23. Aon Hewitt’s 2013 trends in global engagement considers
HR practices as a driver of employee engagement24. Among the HPWPs mentioned
in table 2, researchers give attention to realistic job preview, pay for performance,
staff attitude surveys, self-directed teams, extensive training, regular appraisals
and symbolic egalitarianism. Though there are many HPWPs studied by previous
researchers, only seven HR practices are selected for this study for three reasons.
The first reason is that all these practices were used by the majority of previous
researchers. Jeffrey Pfeffer, Eileen Appelbaum et al., and Gary Dessler use the
term “pay for performance”25. Ashton & Sung present four bundles of HPWPs26
and a bundle of 35 complementary work practices, covering three broad areas27.
In both proposals, priority is given to self-directed teams. David Guest selected
“presence of work improvement teams” as a component of the HPWPs bundle28.

23
J. Pfeffer, Producing sustainable competitive advantage through the effective manage-
ment of people, “The Academy of Management Executive” 1995, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 55–69;
D. Guest, Effective people management: initial findings of the Future of Work Study,
London 2000; D.N. Ashton, J. Sung, op. cit., p. 28; B. Kroon, K. Van De Voorde, J. Tim-
mers, op. cit., p. 71–91.
24
Aon Hewitt’s 2013 trends in global engagement: where do organizations need to focus
attention?, Bingley 2013, p. 22.
25
J. Pfeffer, op. cit., p. 59; E. Appelbaum, T. Bailey, P. Berg, A.L. Kalleberg, Manufacturing
advantage: why high performance work systems pay off, Ithaca 2000; G. Dessler, op. cit.,
p. 391.
26
D.N. Ashton, J. Sung, op. cit., p. 109.
27
Ibidem, p. 86.
28
D. Guest, Effective people management: initial findings of the Future of Work Study,
London 2000.

76
 artykuły
Gary Dessler considers “self-managed teams” as an important HPWP29. These
different terms basically mean the same. Justine Horgan & Peter Mühlau and
David N. Ashton & Johnny Sung prioritize training in their bundle30. Jeffrey
Pfeffer & John F. Veiga, Gary Dessler, Mark A. Huselid and David Guest use the
term “extensive training” correspondingly31. The second reason is that some of
the selected practices were used at least by one researcher. The third reason is
that, as far as the local context is concerned, researchers believe that these prac-
tices seem to be very important for improving business performance. Effective
people management gives competitive advantages to an organization. Resear-
chers believe that uniform remuneration is not suitable for a high-performance
entity. Salaries should vary depending on performance. In order to achieve the
organizational vision, mission and goals, wage differentials among all levels of
employees should be at a minimum level (see diagram 1).

Working definition of HPWPs

Michael Armstrong notes that there is no generally accepted definition of high-
-performance work practices. Therefore, researchers give their own working
definition as “a bundle of certain human resources practices which make a rela-
tively higher impact on organizational effectiveness”32.

G. Dessler, op. cit., p. 289.

29

J. Horgan, P. Mühlau, Human resource systems and employee performance in Ireland and
30

the Netherlands: a test of the complementarity hypothesis, “The International Journal of

Human Resource Management” 2006, vol. 17, no. 3, p. 414–439; D.N. Ashton, J. Sung,
op. cit, p. 110.
31 J. Pfeffer, J.F. Veiga, Putting people first for organizational success, “The Academy of
Management Executive” 1999, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 37–48; G. Dessler, op. cit., p. 95; M.A.
Huselid, The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity,
and corporate financial performance, “Academy of Management Journal” 1995, vol. 38,
no. 3, p. 635; D. Guest, Effective people management: initial findings of the Future of
Work Study, London 2000.
32 M. Armstrong, Armstrong’s handbook of reward management practice, p. 109.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 77

Diagram 1. HR function and HPWPs

Operationalization of the variable of HPWPs

Operationalization means operationally defining a concept or giving an ope-
rational definition33. According to Alan Bryman & Emma Bell, an operational
definition is the definition of a concept in terms of the operations to be carried
out when measuring it34. The authors refer to that dimension as an aspect of
their concept35.

Dimensions of HPWPs
HPWPs are conceptualized as a system that fundamentally consists of seven
dimensions, i.e. realistic job preview (RJP), pay for performance, staff attitude
surveys, self-directed teams, regular appraisals, extensive training and symbolic
egalitarianism.

U. Sekaran, Research methods for business: a skill building approach, New Delhi 2006;
33

A. Bryman, E. Bell, Business research methods, Oxford 2011.

34 A. Bryman, E. Bell, op. cit., p. 716.
35 Ibidem.

78
 artykuły
Realistic job preview (RJP)

John E. Baur et al.36 identify realistic job preview (RJP) as a popular recruitment
procedure. Concise Oxford English dictionary defines “realistic” as “having a sen-
sible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected” and “representing
things in a way that is accurate and true to life”37. RJP is a technique that gives
job applicants a realistic view of what they should expect from the organization38
and can potentially bring the expectations of prospective employees “down to
earth”39. In opinion of James A. Breaugh & Mary Starke, unrealistic high expec-
tations about the organization make it harder for the employee to integrate into
the organization and lead to lower job satisfaction and increased turnover40. This
is why M. Ronald Buckley et al. state that it is ethical to provide job candidates
with actual information41. This is confirmed by Gary Dessler who argues that
providing realistic details about the job and the organization will become the
best screening tool42. Baur et al. reveal that RJP is a conversation between the
interviewer and interviewee regarding the positive and negative characteristics
of a job43. Julia Richardson et al. point out that RJP ensures congruence between
new employees’ expectations and their subsequent work experience44. Baur et
al. state that RJP is an alternative to the “seductive” method called “idealistic job
preview”, in which only positive information is disclosed45. According to Tope
Adeyemi‐Bello & Will Mulvane, sometimes organizations give only positive

36
J.E. Baur, M.R. Buckley, Z. Bagdasarov, A.S. Dharmasiri, A historical approach to realistic
job previews: an exploration into their origins, evolution, and recommendations for the
future, “Journal of Management History” 2014, vol. 20, no. 2, p. 200–223.
37
Entry: Realistic, in: A. Stevenson, M. Waite (eds.), Concise Oxford English dictionary:
luxury edition, New York 2011, p. 1197.
38
J.E. Baur et al., op. cit., p. 200–223.
39
T. Adeyemi-Bello, W. Mulvaney, The development and administration of realistic job
previews, “Equal Opportunities International” 1995, vol. 14, no. 5, p. 1–7.
40
J.A. Breaugh, M. Starke, Research on employee recruitment. So many studies, so many
remaining questions, “Journal of Management” 2000, vol. 26, no. 3, p. 405–434.
41
M.R. Buckley, D.B. Fedor, J.G. Veres, D.S. Wiese, S.M. Carraher, Investigating newcomer
expectations and job-related outcomes, “Journal of Applied Psychology” 1998, vol. 83,
no. 3, p. 452–461.
42
G. Dessler, op. cit., p. 193.
43
J.E. Baur et al., op. cit., p. 200–223.
44
J. Richardson, K. McBey, S. McKenna, Integrating realistic job previews and realistic
living conditions previews: realistic recruitment for internationally mobile knowledge
workers, “Personnel Review” 2008, vol. 37, no. 5, p. 492.
45
J.E. Baur et al., op. cit., p. 200–223.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 79

information in order to maximize the attractiveness of the position but it will
have negative impact on work environment46. In this situation, it is the best to
give both positive and negative information. See table 3 for elements of and
statements on the dimension called “realistic job preview”.

Table 3. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “realistic job

preview”

Element Statement
Giving actual information We have a practice of providing deliberately actual
information to the applicants or the new employees with
regard to the organization expectations of the job holder
and the work environment.
Giving both positive and Both positive and negative aspects of a job are commu-
negative information nicated to the applicants during their recruitment and
selection.

Pay for performance

Longman dictionary of contemporary English defines “pay” as “to give someone

money for something you have bought, or for something they have done for you”47.
According to Henarath H.D.N.P. Opatha, pay can mean either wage or salary48. The
same dictionary defines “performance” as “the act of doing a piece of work, duty”
or as the appraisal “how well or badly you do a particular job or activity”49. Many
organizations believe that pay for performance is an important compensation
objective50. Researchers view pay for performance as being closely linked with
individual efficiency. Steven H. Appelbaum & Loring Mackenzie note that some
cost-conscious companies believe that pay for performance motivates employees
and that the organization can control payroll expenses51. The report by Neil A.G.
McPhie et al. reveals that from a well-functioning pay for performance system,
brilliant performers will receive supreme rewards as an acknowledgement of their

T. Adeyemi-Bello, W. Mulvaney, op. cit., p. 1–7.
46

Entry: Pay, in: Longman dictionary of contemporary English, p. 1039.

47

H.H.D.N.P. Opatha, Human resource management, Colombo 2009, p. 569.
48

Entry: Performance, in: Longman dictionary of contemporary English, p. 1050.
49

D.P. McAdams, Biography, narrative, and lives: an introduction, “Journal of Personality”
50

1988, vol. 56, no. 1, p. 1–18.
51 S.H. Appelbaum, L. Mackenzie, Compensation in the year 2000: pay for performance?,
“Health Manpower Management” 1996, vol. 22, no. 3, p. 31–39.

80
 artykuły
superior contributions and as a motivator to continue their high performance.
Average performers will receive smaller compensation which may persuade them
to work harder so as to get a raise in future. Poor performers will receive no incre-
ase which is intended to persuade them to improve their performance or leave the
organization52. According to Russell C. Swansburg & Richard J. Swansburg, pay for
performance (compensation) programs take the form of merit pay, gain sharing,
lump sum payment, pay for knowledge, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs),
individual incentives, small group incentives, instant incentives and recognition
programs53. According to Appelbaum & Mackenzie, the most popular forms of
pay for performance are lump sum bonuses (30 percent), small group incentive
plans (14 percent), gain sharing (13 percent) and pay for knowledge (5 percent)54.
The authors add that many of these plans are difficult to distinguish clearly since
they are intermingled. Under uniform pay schemes, the organization does not
differentiate between high performers and low performers. Irrespective of the
degree of performance, the organization gives the same pay for employees in the
same job rank55. Gary Dessler states that variable pay is known as any plan that is
connected to productivity or profitability56. Researchers identify two elements of
pay for performance, i.e. “linkage between pay and individual job performance”
and “differentiation between high performers and low performers”. See table 4
for elements of and statements on the dimension called “pay for performance”.

Table 4. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “pay for

performance”

Element Statement
Linkage between pay We have a variable pay linked with the degree of individual
and individual job job performance.
performance
Differentiation between We differentiate with the high performers and the low
high performers and low performers and we give a high pay to high performers and
performers a low pay to low performers.

52
N.A.G. McPhie et al., Designing an effective pay for performance compensation system:
a report to the President and the Congress of the United States by the U.S. Merit Systems
Protection Board, Washington, DC, January 2006, p. 1.
53
R.C. Swansburg, R.J. Swansburg, Introduction to management and leadership for nurse
managers, Sudbury 2002, p. 619.
54
S.H. Appelbaum, L. Mackenzie, op. cit., p. 31–39.
55
Ibidem.
56
G. Dessler, op. cit., p. 395.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 81

Staff attitude surveys

Concise Oxford English dictionary defines “attitude” as “a settled way of thinking

or feeling”57. An employee attitude survey provides a picture of the organiza-
tional needs of a business entity. Paul R. Knapp & Bahaudin Mujtaba state that
in today’s competitive work environment, employee attitudes, opinions and
suggestions are of utmost importance. They add that when the management
has an understanding about the employee’s feelings and concerns, it is easier to
manage their behaviors. This will lead to organizational growth58. Staff attitude
surveys are conducted not only to assess job satisfaction, employee morale and
attitudes toward the company59 but also to focus on strategic imperatives of
the organization60. According to Benjamin Schneider et al., in these surveys,
employees are asked about their experience of the policies and practices, and
their view on specific strategic goals of the organization61. Researchers identify
two elements, i.e. “conducting surveys” and “using the results of the attitude
surveys”. Table 5 shows the elements of and statements on the dimension called
“staff attitude surveys”.

Table 5. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “staff attitude surveys”

Element Statement
Conducting surveys Usually we conduct surveys to measure job satisfaction, job
involvement, organizational commitment and organizational
citizenship behavior of our employees.
Using the results of We have a practice of using the information and finding of the
the attitude surveys surveys for various decision making.

Entry: Attitude, in: A. Stevenson, M. Waite (eds.), op. cit., p. 84.

57

P.R. Knapp, B.G. Mujtaba, Designing, administering, and utilizing an employee attitude
58

survey, “Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business” 2010, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 1–14.

59 A.C. Higgs, S.D. Ashworth, Organizational surveys: tools for assessment and research, in:
A.I. Kraut (ed.), Organizational surveys: tools for assessment and change, San Francisco
1996, p. 19–40.
60 B. Schneider, S.D. Ashworth, A.C. Higgs, L. Carr, Design, validity, and use of strategi-
cally focused employee attitude surveys, “Personnel Psychology” 1996, vol. 49, no. 3,
p. 695–705.
61 Ibidem.

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Self-directed teams (SDT)

According to Jennifer Rowley, self-directed teams (SDTs) refer to a small group

of employees who have day-to-day responsibility for managing themselves and
their work62. Michael W. Piczak & Reuben Z. Hauser describe self-directed teams
as semi-autonomous work groups or self-managing teams, where people are no
longer segmented into functions that only control a part of an organizational
process. Each team consists of a group of employees with responsibility for
an entire process, product or customer relationship63. Everyone shares equal
responsibilities, which lead to increased empowerment and organizational
commitment64. Piczak & Hauser state that companies like Coca-Cola, Federal
Express, General Electric, Motorola, Procter & Gamble and Xerox implemented
the concept of self-directed teams as a means of achieving employee participa-
tion and getting closer to the customer65. Based on this information, researchers
can say that an effective culture is essential for effective functioning of teams66.
“Existence of teams” and “effective functioning teams” form the elements of
this concept. See table 6 for the elements of and statements on the concept of
self-directed teams.

Table 6. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “self directed teams”

Element Statement
Existence of teams In my organization, there are small groups of employees with
day to day responsibilities for managing themselves and their
work.
Effective functioning We have a team culture where team members usually plan
teams and schedule work, handle job assignment and make related
decisions to solve problems.

62
J. Rowley, Academic leaders: made or born?, “Industrial and Commercial Training”
1997, vol. 29, no. 3, p. 78–84.
63
M.W. Piczak, R.Z. Hauser, Self-directed work teams: a guide to implementation. “Quality
Progress” 1996, vol. 29, no. 5, p. 81–87.
64
P.S. Appelbaum, T. Grisso, E. Frank, S. O’Donnell, D.J. Kupfer, Competence of depressed
patients for consent to research, “American Journal of Psychiatry” 1999, vol. 156, no. 9,
p. 1380–1384; J. Rowley, op. cit., p. 78–84.
65
M.W. Piczak, R.Z. Hauser, op. cit., p. 81–87.
66
P.T. Nowakowski, Psychologiczno-pedagogiczne aspekty środowiska pracy, in: M. Czapka
(ed.), Psychospołeczne i pedagogiczne uwarunkowania pracy, Bytom 2005, p. 54–55.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 83

Regular appraisals

Henarath H.D.N.P. Opatha67 remarks that performance appraisal (PA) is an

integral part of performance management (PM), and indeed the heart of PM is
PA. Longman dictionary of contemporary English defines “regular” as having “the
same amount of time or space between each thing and the next”68. Therefore,
regular appraisal means a performance appraisal that is arranged in a pattern,
especially with the same space between one thing and the next. Nelda Spinks et
al. state that conducting performance appraisal interviews at frequent intervals
is essential since it makes the employees aware of where they stand. The intervals
may vary in reference to particular job but the appraisal interviews should be
conducted more than once a year69. Considering all these facts, researchers
identify two elements called “existence of formal evaluation” and “intensity of
giving feedback”. See table 7 for elements of and statements on the dimension
called “regular appraisal”.

Table 7. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “regular appraisal”

Element Statement
Existence of formal Job performance of our employees is regularly and systematically
evaluation evaluated.
Intensity of giving We have a strong practice of giving a feedback to the appraisee
feedback in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses and plans for
improvements.

Extensive training

Concise Oxford English dictionary’s definition of “extensive” is “covering a large

area” and “large in amount or scale”70. Gary Dessler mentions that both new
and present employees need to be trained as and when required. He also states
that training is the process of teaching new employees the basic competencies
needed to perform their job71. According to Henarath H.D.N.P. Opatha, such
training should teach knowledge, skills and attitudes. The ultimate result is

H.H.D.N.P. Opatha, op. cit., p. 451.

67

Entry: Regular, in: Longman dictionary of contemporary English, p. 1196.

68

69
N. Spinks, B. Wells, M. Meche, Appraising the appraisals: computerized performance
appraisal systems, “Career Development International” 1999, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 94–100.
70 Entry: Extensive, in: A. Stevenson, M. Waite (eds.), op. cit., p. 503–504.
71 G. Dessler, op. cit., p. 247.

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a high level of organizational performance72. Jeffrey Pfeffer and Kamal Birdi et
al. state that extensive training provides a range of development opportunities
for all employees rather than trains people occasionally to meet specific job
needs73. Based on the views of Pfeffer and Birdi et al., “giving more priority to
training” and “continuous increase in the hours of training” were identified
as the elements of the dimension called “extensive training”74. See table 8 for
elements of and statements on this dimension.

Table 8. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “extensive training”

Element Statement
Giving more priority We give a more priority to train our employees.
to training
Continuous increase Year by year, there has been a continuous increase of number
in the hours of of hours of training for our employees.
training

Symbolic egalitarianism

The concept of symbolic egalitarianism proposed by Jeffrey Pfeffer is a high-

-performance work practice that gives a competitive advantage. It implies the
use of symbols to minimize differences among all levels of employees working
to achieve a common organizational goal75. According to Pfeffer, the symbols are
visible signs such as dress and the use of physical space. Symbolic egalitarianism
can be implemented in an organization through consistent dress codes, common
cafeteria, common parking area and permanent office arrangements. Therefore,
one element of symbolic egalitarianism is “equality in office facilities”. Pfeffer’s
view is that egalitarian symbols take many forms76. Lee G. Bolman & Terrence
E. Deal write that New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) also has
the same practices and their motto is “There are no managers, no supervisors,

H.H.D.N.P. Opatha, op. cit., p. 451.

72

J. Pfeffer, op. cit., p. 62–63; K. Birdi, C. Clegg, M. Patterson, A. Robinson, C.B. Stride, T.D.
73

Wall, S.J. Wood, The impact of human resource and operational management practices
on company productivity: a longitudinal study, “Personnel Psychology” 2008, vol. 61,
no. 3, p. 480.
74 J. Pfeffer, op. cit., p. 55–69; K. Birdi et al., op. cit., p. 471.
75 J. Pfeffer, op. cit., p. 63.
76 Ibidem.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 85

only team members”77. Pfeffer further mentions that Japanese organizations,
almost invariably, have pins with the organization’s insignia or logo that virtually
everyone wears. It symbolizes their identification with the organization. Pfeffer
states that reduction of various subdivisions of the organization diminishes
“us” versus “them” thinking, and leads to a sense of everyone working towards
a common goal78. Thereby, Pfeffer and Bolman & Deal consider another element
of symbolic egalitarianism as “the belief in treating employees equally”79. Table
9 shows elements of and statements on symbolic egalitarianism.

Table 9. Elements of and statements on the dimension called “symbolic

egalitarianism”

Element Statement
Equality in office All the employees park in the same car parks, eat in the same
facilities dining rooms and use the same toilets without considering
their job rank.
The belief of treating We believe that treating employees equally will improve
the employees corporation and team working among employees by reducing
equally grudges and hostilities which exist.

Generally, there are seven dimensions of the variable of HPWPs, each con-
taining two elements. Thus the number of all the items is 14. The relevant
dimensions and elements of the variable are depicted in diagram 2.

Reliability and validity of HPWPs

Mark Saunders et al. mention that when measuring the validity of a questionnaire,
its content validity, construct validity and criterion validity should be considered80.
Since Michael Armstrong observes that there is no standard list of features or
components of a “bundle of HPWPs”81, it is essential to develop an instrument
of HPWPs that is both validated and well-adapted. Reliability of the measure is

77
L.G. Bolman, T.E. Deal, Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership, Chich-
ester 2003, p. 155.
78
J. Pfeffer, op. cit., p. 63.
79
Ibidem, p. 64; L.G. Bolman, T.E. Deal, op. cit., p. 155.
80
M. Saunders, Ph. Lewis, A. Thornhill, Research methods for business students, Harlow
2007, p. 598.
81
M. Armstrong, Armstrong’s handbook of reward management practice, p. 109.

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Diagram 2. The dimensions and elements of the variable of HPWPs

Key: (D) – dimensions, (E) – elements

essential since low reliability weakens the statistical power of the instrument used
in data analysis. Cronbach’s alpha reliability is 0.797. This means that these items
are highly correlated and thus highly reliable for measuring the HPWPs’ level of
employees. The variable of HPWPs has seven dimensions: realistic job preview,
pay for performance, staff attitude survey, self-directed teams, regular appraisal,
extensive training and symbolic egalitarianism. There are 14 items in the variable
of HPWPs. In the first step, the researchers guaranteed content validity through
conceptualization and operationalization. Saunders et al. consider content validity
as the extent to which a device, e.g. a questionnaire, provides “adequate coverage”
of the investigative questions82. The same authors add that “adequate coverage”
can be ensured through a careful literature review83.

82
M. Saunders, Ph. Lewis, A. Thornhill, op. cit., p. 386.
83
Ibidem, p. 60.

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 87

 After ensuring content validity, the researchers measured construct validity
through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). There should be seven latent variables
of HPWPs based on theoretical insights. By operationalizing the construct of
HPWPs, two items were distinguished in each dimension. Exploratory factor
analysis shows that there is one latent variable in HPWPs. The recommended
level of factor loading is 0.5 or above84. EFA shows that a few items are below the
recommended level. Barbara G. Tabachnick & Linda S. Fidell suggest that five
cases for each item are adequate in most instances85. Since there is no accepted
level for the items of EFA, the researchers do not remove any of them. In social
sciences, values at or above 0.7 are desirable according to Jum C. Nunnally &
Ira H. Bernstein86, as cited in Damon P.S. Andrew et al.87 Cronbach’s alpha is
0.812 for the construct of HPWPs. It means that these 14 items are a highly
reliable gauge for measuring HPWPs. The statistical output related to internal
consistency, reliability and content validity of HPWPs is depicted in table 10.

The intensity of the implementation of HPWPs

A descriptive analysis was conducted in order to identify the intensity of the
implementation of HPWPs in opinion of the executives and managers of selected
Sri Lankan companies. The analysis includes descriptive statistics of minimum,
maximum, mean and standard deviation of each variable. As mentioned before,
the construct of HPWPs, consisting of seven dimensions, is measured with 14
questions. The elements of each dimension and the statements related to the
elements are depicted in tables 3–9. The score of this construct was in the range
of 14–70. The difference in the range of values can be computed as (70 – 14)
÷ 5 = 11.2.

84
D. de Vries, Leveraging patents financially: a company perspective, Wiesbaden 2012, p. 137.
85
B.G. Tabachnick, L.S. Fidell, Using multivariate statistics, Boston 2001.
86
J.C. Nunnally, I.H. Bernstein, Psychometric theory, New York 1994.
87
D.P.S. Andrew, P.M. Pedersen, C.D. McEvoy, Research methods and design in sport
management, Champaign 2011.

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Table 10. Advantages of HPWPs measure

Variable Items Principal com- Cronbach’s Cronbach’s

ponent of factor alpha if item alpha reliability
loading deleted reliabi- coefficient (α)
lity coefficient
High-per- HPW1 0.357 0.854 0.812
formance
work HPW2 0.569 0.844
practices HPW3 0.542 0.846
(HPWPs)
HPW4 0.624 0.842
HPW5 0.610 0.843
HPW6 0.681 0.838
HPW7 0.477 0.850
HPW8 0.660 0.839
HPW9 0.740 0.835
HPW10 0.719 0.836
HPW11 0.733 0.834
HPW12 0.742 0.833
HPW13 0.338 0.855
HPW14 0.361 0.857
Source: Survey data

Table 11. A continuum for HPWPs

Scale Range of points New values

Very low 14–25.2 1
Low 25.2–36.4 2
Moderate 36.4–47.6 3
High 47.6–58.8 4
Very high 58.8–70 5

According to table 12, the minimum is 2.00 and the maximum 5.00 on
a 5-point Likert scale. That means that all the respondents answered within the
range of “disagree” to “strongly agree”. The mean value is 4.018 and the standard

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 89

deviation is 0.656. On the basis of the mean value and standard deviation,
the majority of the respondents “agreed” and “strongly agreed” on the Likert
scale. The mean value of HPWPs is “high” and the level of dispersion is small.
The results reveal that the intensity of the implementation of HPWPs is “high”
in opinion of the executives and managers of selected Sri Lankan companies.

Table 12. Descriptive statistics for the construct of HPWPs

N Minimum Maximum Mean Std deviation

HPWPs (HPWPs5) 272 2.00 5.00 4.018 0.656
Source: Survey data

Discussion
Thuduwage Lasanthika Sajeevanie found that Sri Lankan companies from her
study practice Human Resource Management (HRM)88. Therefore, the resear-
chers also decided to collect data from the executives and managers of selected
Sri Lankan companies for their research. The results reveal that the intensity of
the implementation of HPWPs is high in opinion of the respondents. Despite
Sudatta Ranasinghe’s view that information technology (IT) and telecommu-
nication have adopted HPWPs89, the results of this study show that it may be
also true in reference to other sectors in Sri Lanka. The survey was conducted
by the authors after Ranasinghe’s research, which enabled them to observe how
things had changed positively with more improvements.

Conclusions
There are different synonymous terms for “high-performance work systems”, i.e.
“high-performance work practices”, “high-involvement work practices”, “high-
-commitment employment practices”, “alternative work practices” and “high-
-performance human resource management”. The researchers’ view is that there

T.L. Sajeevanie, Organization-related factors influencing the practices of strategic human

88

resource management, paper presented at the 4th International Conference on Business

Management, Colombo 2007.
89 S. Ranasinghe, op. cit., p. 1–39.

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is a common thread among all these terms and it is better to use the notion
“high-performance work practices” (HPWPs). Seven dimensions, i.e. realistic job
preview, pay for performance, staff attitude surveys, self-directed teams, extensive
training, regular appraisals and symbolic egalitarianism, were identified. The
relevant elements under each dimension were distinguished as well. Finally, the
dimensions were used to develop an instrument to measure HPWPs. HR prac-
tices, grouped in an effective way, are known as a “bundle”. High-performance
work practices are also beneficial when used in bundles since the correct bundle
of HPWPs leads to organizational effectiveness. A validated and well-adapted
instrument was developed with proper conceptualization, operationalization
and statistical analysis. It helped to research and understand the intensity of the
implementation of HPWPs in opinion of the executives and managers of selected
Sri Lankan companies. The survey results reveal that the intensity is high.

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baden 2012.

Abstrakt
Powszechność zastosowania wysokoefektywnych praktyk pracy w wybranych firmach
na terenie Sri Lanki
Wysokoefektywne praktyki pracy (ang. high-performance work practices, HPWPs)
można zdefiniować jako pakiet praktyk odnoszących się do zasobów ludzkich, mają-
cych relatywnie większy wpływ na efektywność organizacyjną. Literatura dotycząca
zachowań w organizacjach (organizational behavior, OB) i zarządzania zasobami
ludzkimi (human resource management, HRM) przywiązuje duże znaczenie do
pojęcia wysokoefektywnych praktyk pracy, gdyż przekładają się one na większą
wydajność organizacji. W artykule zaprezentowano zestawienie wysokoefektyw-
nych praktyk pracy, instrument do ich mierzenia, potwierdzenie jego rzetelności
i trafności, jak też analizę powszechności zastosowania wysokoefektywnych praktyk
pracy w wybranych firmach na terenie Sri Lanki.
Słowa kluczowe: wysokoefektywne praktyki pracy, zachowania
w organizacjach, zarządzanie zasobami ludzkimi, efektywność organizacyjna,
kontekst Sri Lanki

Abstract
The intensity of the implementation of high-performance work practices in selected Sri
Lankan companies
High-performance work practices (HPWPs) can be defined as a bundle of human
resource practices that make a relatively higher impact on organizational effective-
ness. The literature on organizational behavior (OB) and human resource man-
agement (HRM) attaches greater prominence to the concept of HPWPs because
it enhances the organizational performance. This paper presents a list of high-
-performance work practices, the instrument to measure them, the evidence of its
reliability and validity, and the analysis of the intensity of the implementation of
high-performance work practices in selected Sri Lankan companies.
Key words: high-performance work practices, organizational behavior, human
resource management, organizational effectiveness, Sri Lankan context

społeczeństwo i rodzina nr 56 (3/2018)  » 95

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