High Performance Work PracticesNancy Brown Johnson

Traditional Work Systems

Tayloristic, based upon high volume production lines

Management acts, employees comply

Work structured from top- employees carry out management actions

Quality set by inspection

HPWP Defined

Maximizing the use of technology, resources, and employees

Each element must work together

Work systems are the link that tie the elements together

Can contribute to organizational success but difficult to implement

Elements of a HPWP

Management philosophy that employees need to share in decision-making

Participative management Elements

Information sharing Participative decision making Increasing knowledge Redistributing power

Information Sharing

Provide employees with information about the business Enables the employees to make

suggestions for improving product & processes

Increasing knowledge

Training Business knowledge

Enables the employee’s to understand long-term goals

Interpersonal and group skills Gives employees the skills to work

together and engage in problem-solving Basic job skills

Gives them the foundation for understanding their role in the organization and how it fits in to the total organizational goals

Rewarding Performance

Incentives to reinforce commitment Profit sharing, share in cost

reduction Skill base pay or other systems

to reinforce learning Provide incentives to engage in

learning & participate Crucial to include job security

Redistributing power

Shifting decision-making downward

Must empower workers to make decisions JetBlue does it by five core values

Safety, Caring, Integrity, Fun, Passion

Restructures organization to team level decisions such as quality circles, team

meetings to systematically shift power downward

When are HPWP a good idea? Required when flexibility

essential Dynamic changing environments May be less efficient Much more difficult to implement

than Tayloristic systems Tayloristic systems more

appropriate for stable, predictable environments: allow for efficiency

All Elements must work Together

Rewarding Performance

Increasing Knowledge

Information Sharing

Redistributing Power

HPWP

Conditions for HPWP success Goal Collective Identity

Problem Solving v. Blaming Shared goals: everyone knows

what needs to be done Shared knowledge of work

processes Mutual respect among employees Frequent & timely communication

Implementing Management needs combination of

credibility & caring trust & respect

Coaching & feedback positive reinforcement v. fear &

punishment Hire employees to work in this

environment Use conflicts to build relationships Measure performance broadly Flexibility in jobs

Summary

HPWP much more difficult to implement than traditional production systems

Increase flexibility and work best in dynamic environment

Expensive to implement Evidence indicates can pay off if

consistently implemented