The influence of employees' perceptions towards high performance work system on task performance : an exploration of the role of fairness

This study explores the effect of employees' perceptions towards high performance work system (HPWS) on the perceived task performance. It also investigates the role of justice in this effect. In doing so, it responses to recent calls (e.g. Budhwar et al., 2018; Nishii et al., 2008; Sanders et al., 2014; Wright and Nishii, 2013; Bowen and Ostroff 2004) to explore the mechanism of the effect of HR systems on performance through employees' perceptions. This aspect of the "HRM black box" has not been completely uncovered yet. In particular, this side of the black box has been poorly understood in the contexts of the Middle East and North Africa due to dearth of research in this arena. To the researcher best of knowledge, this study is the first research to explore the adoption and the effect of HPWS on task performance in an oil company in Libya using the process approach. Therefore, it contributes to the knowledge in respect of the mechanism by which HPWS effects performance and the extent of the adoption of this system in a case study in this country. In this thesis, a subjective relative ontology, and, interpretive epistemology with a qualitative deductive and inductive approaches case study research design were adopted deploying two data sources (semi-structured interviews and documents analysis). The data were collected from 16 front-line employees, three main HR key persons in the organisation, three supervisors and 17 formal documents from Waha Oil Company in Libya to obtain full understanding of the research themes. The collected data has been deductively and inductively analysed using the thematic analysis to obtain a holistic picture about the themes. The findings of this study indicated to relatively high adoption of the system in the case study. However, there has been governmental intervention in certain practices, which has made the bundling process and the implementation of the HPWS practices are not as they should. The findings drawn from the front-line participants and their self-evaluation task performance indicated also to important relationship between employees’ perceptions and task performance. This effect is mainly sourced from training satisfaction and motivation from the participation. Nevertheless, several factors such as the content of the HPWS practices was found effective in addition to the employees' perceptions towards these practices. Justice perceptions were found significantly affecting this relationship. Moreover, Certain socio-cultural factors such as social relationships and power distance have been emerged negatively affecting the relationship. The social reciprocities were significantly high in the research context and play another important role in information sharing. One of the biggest contribution of this study is the additional insight about the mechanism by which HPWS can influence employees’ performance (the how question) as it explains the important moderating role of justice and the effect of certain socio-cultural factors in this mechanism. This research also gives more insight to the applicability of the process approach in studying one of the most important aspects of the HRM black box. Another contribution is in the level of analysis in this research, as it bridged employees and organisational points of view, whereby the link between the intended and the actual practices was given more insight using the psychological process by which employees understand the intention of the management in deploying the practices.