To Customize or Not? Contextual Factors and High Performance Work Systems: A Literature Review

Abstract

The burgeoning High Performance Work System (HPWS)literature shows that organizations that implemented HPWSs recorded remarkable success, especially in organizations in the Western world. While these studies are mostly Western-based and it will be interesting to find out whether the impressive results can be applied to non-Western settings since the contextual factors differ between Western firms and Asian firms. This conceptual paper explores the research findings with regard to the contextual impact on the implementation of HPWSs in the world. The paper may be valuable to those who are interested in understanding the phenomenon of contextual impact on the implementation of HPWSs in the world for research purposes.
Key Words: Asian Firms, Contextual Factors, High Performance Work Systems, Western Firms