ABSTRACT
We have discussed how high-performance work systems (HPWS) have generally failed to catch on and, if applied in a largely instrumental way, can do more harm than good (Combs et al., 2006). After all, employees are not passive pawns to be manipulated into high performance. Unless there is fair exchange, some people can and do exercise their agency through resisting or undermining the work eort. From an economic-exchange perspective, research has shown that perceptions of equity relate to some key HPWS outcomes including pay satisfaction and commitment (Tekleab et al., 2005) and increased workload (Brockner et al., 1994). When employees perceive the exchange is fair, they will be more satised and committed to the organization (Ambrose and Schminke, 2003).
