High-performance work systems and workplace performance in small, medium-sized and large firms

摘要

This article draws on the Organisational Growth and Development (OGD) life cycle model to explore the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and performance in firms of different size, thereby extending understanding of congruence or `best fit' theory within strategic HRM debates. With reference to management control theory, economies of scale and the availability of specialist managerial skills, the article hypothesises that while an HPWS-performance relationship might exist in small, medium-sized and large firms, the relationship will be stronger in large firms than in both small and medium-sized firms, and stronger in medium-sized firms than in small firms. Analysis of data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey demonstrates, however, that there is no association between HPWS and workplace performance in medium-sized firms, in contrast to the positive relationship between HPWS and performance found in large firms and between HPWS and labour productivity in small firms.