Unleashing Employee Potential: A Mixed-Methods Study of High-Performance Work Systems in Bangladeshi Banks

Abstract

This two-stage sequential mixed-methods study explores the contextual configuration of perceived high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and its association with psychological empowerment (PE), trust in immediate managers (ET), affective commitment (AC) and employee performance (EP) in two Bangladeshi private commercial banks (PCBLs). In the first stage, qualitative data were collected through interviews with 15 industry experts. Based on the qualitative findings, a HPWS framework has been hypothesised and tested using the survey data from 436 employees in the two selected PCBLs in Bangladesh. The findings demonstrated that ET and PE both mediated the perceived HPWS–EP link and that perceived HPWS positively influences AC. However, AC does not mediate the HPWS–EP link. In line with the social exchange theory, perceived HPWS can positively predict attitudinal outcomes and employee performance, provided it is configured to the specific institutional context. Implications are drawn for HPWS theory, sustainable HR development and performance, and future international human resource management research.