In most organisations, HR managers and line managers work together to implement systems and
processes that will enable staff to work productively and contribute to organisational performance.
High-performance work systems (HPWS) are just one example of a planned, coherent system for
accomplishing this, but, as such, they provide an excellent means of exploring the implications of such
systems for organisational design and the division of HR manager and line manager responsibilities.
This Key Concept Exercise asks you to consider these larger questions of roles/responsibilities and design
in the context of HPWS.
*Reflect on what you have read about organisation design, HR and line manager roles and responsibilities
and high-performance work systems (HPWS). Consider the implications of implementing HPWS for HR
leaders, line managers and the organisation’s design.
In an approximately 500-word response, complete the following:
*Critically analyse the notion of high-performance work systems, including the important aspects of such
systems, their potential value for an organisation and how they might be implemented. Use examples fram
organisations you know well as appropriate.
«In formulating your Key Concept Exercise, consider the following questions:
¢What aspects of high-performance work systems, in your view, are most likely to contribute to employee
performance and business performance?
«What aspects of organisational design might have to be changed in order to implement a high-
performance work system?
eln the organisations with which you have experience and which do not already use the HPWS approach,
who would be responsible for implementing these changes? How could line managers and HR managers
work together to implement a high-performance work system, or aspects of one?
Sample Solution