Attracting and engaging talented people, the 'star performers', is an on-going challenge for organisations. Our theoretical understanding of the nature of star performance and the way in which HR systems facilitate such performance is limited. Drawing from theories of human resource management, leadership, performance, job characteristics and organisational justice, this research develops and tests a model of the role of High Performance HR systems in facilitating task and contextual performance. This model proposes that the way in which organisational systems influence individual levels of performance is via two intervening mechanisms - perceptions of work processes and organisational justice. The program of research is comprised of two studies. In Study 1, I explored the utility of the task and contextual performance framework for understanding stars using supervisor-employee dyads (N = 174) from a large Australian government agency. The results of this study provide support for the central hypothesis of this thesis. Task and contextual performance are key components of star ratings, and other elements such as being self-directed, having a big picture viewpoint, and a willingness to lead, also contribute. In Study 2, I employed two well-established frameworks of employee responses to situational factors and psychological perceptions to examine the role of HR systems and practices in facilitating star performance. Specifically, the study used substitutes for leadership theory (Kerr & Jermier, 1978) and the formation of psychological contracts (Robinson, Kraatz & Rousseau, 1994) to examine the way in which HR practices are connected with task and contextual performance. It was proposed that HR practices are positively associated with task and contextual performance, and that this relationship is moderated by job characteristics and teamwork. It was also proposed that the relationship between HR practices and performance is mediated by perceptions of justice. The results of this study indicate that complex relationships exist. Specifically the findings provide support for one of the core propositions. Job characteristics and teamwork can moderate the relationship between HR practices and performance. The patterns of moderation indicate that HR practices provide marginal gains where jobs are perceived by employees as being enriched, but are able to make a more substantial contribution under conditions of less enrichment. Under these conditions HR practices are able to make a greater contribution to performance by providing performance cues and establishing expectations and clarifying roles. The relationship between HR practices and performance was not found to be mediated by perceptions of justice. In this thesis I provide evidence of the relevance of the task and contextual performance framework to conceptualising star performance. Furthermore, I examine the conditions under which High Performance HR systems facilitate star performance. Both of these aspects are necessary for designing appropriate HR strategies and interventions for managing talent.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/265306 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Bish, Adelle Jayne |
| Publisher | Queensland University of Technology |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Adelle Jayne Bish |
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