Evaluating High-Performance Work Systems and Employee Performance in the Public Sector of AJK

Abstract

The study has been conducted to analyze the effects of the High-Performance Work System (HPWS) practices on the employee performance in the public sector of Azar Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The study assumes the quantitative design to compare the contribution of training and development, performance appraisal, participation of employees and compensation practices to the improvement in efficiency in workforce and organizational performance. A modified structured questionnaire of A 5-point Likert scale consisted of 25 items based on Huselid (1995) was used to collect data from 220 employees of four public sector departments—Administration, Education, Health, and Finance. A 5-point Likert scale was used, and data were analyzed in SPSS 26 and descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used.

The results state that there is a positive and significant relationship between all the components of HPWS and the performance of employees. Training and development were the best predictors among them, then performance appraisal, employee participation, and compensation practices. The results support the resource-based view, which places much importance on strategic human resource practices as a strong internal resource that positively affects the performance of organizations. The research concludes that introducing HPWS practices within the public institutions can be of great benefit in motivating the employees, enhancing the level of accountability and the quality of the offered services.

The study has provided useful implications to policy-makers and administrators as it proposes that the incorporation of the principles of HPWS into the management system of the state institutions may reinforce the institutional capacity and ensure the sustainability of performance improvement.