Abstract:
Purpose – Thispaperaimstoexaminetheimplicationsofhighperformanceworksystem(HPWS)strength from a managerial perspective and the impact of economic, cultural, political, legal and technological factors ontheoperationalizationofHPWSsinthebankingindustryinSriLanka. Design/methodology/approach – The data for this study were collected from three licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka. This research used a case study approach for data collection with archival analysis of records and semi-structured interviews with the CEO, head of HR, two board members and three focus groups (top, middle and lower level managers across various functional areas) in each bank which altogethercovers66keyinformants. Findings – The findings supported the research proposition that to gain positive outcomes on organizationaleffectiveness,thereshouldbeastrongHPWS,resultinginapositiveattitudinalclimateamong employees. Further, the findings provide evidence of the global applicability of HPWSs, although more researchisneededtoclearlyspecifythecontextualboundariesofHPWSeffectiveness. Originality/value – Contemporary research provides ample evidence to endorse the contribution of high performance work systems toward organizational effectiveness. However, there is a dearth of literature on how high performance work systems are operationalized across the management hierarchy and support the achievement of organizational effectiveness. Few studies have been conducted on high performance work systemstrengthandorganizationaleffectivenessinemergingeconomies.
