New Zealand study shows both gender and national culture influence impact of high-performance work systems (HPWS)

Abstract

Purpose

The authors based their study on the findings of attribution theory, which suggests some people attribute experiences at work to external factors, and others to internal factors. Their theory was that women and men made different attributions and this affected the impact of HPWS.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors sent out a questionnaire that tested whether ability was the main factor for male performance. And it tested if the main predictor of job performance for female employees was opportunity. The authors also considered the influence of national culture. The authors collected data from a purposive sample of service sector organizations in New Zealand.

Findings

All four of their hypotheses were supported showing that ability was the main predictor for males and external factors were the main predictor for women. In addition, the study found a mediating role existed for ability for males and opportunity for females in the HPWS-job performance relationship.

Originality/value

The authors said the main contribution of the research was to show the relevance of context in studies of employees. They said the research could contribute to understanding why motivation, as an AMO element, does not feature much in studies. In addition, highlighting the role of national culture helped to explain the formation of gendered behaviour. The authors felt it was reasonable to speculate that the results were impacted by New Zealand’s national culture.

Citation

(2021), "New Zealand study shows both gender and national culture influence impact of high-performance work systems (HPWS)", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 21-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-03-2021-0065