ABSTRACT
High performance work practices (HPWPs) is a term used most recently by scholars to refer to a set of progressive human resources practices designed to increase both employee job performance and well-being. It argues that the social and historical context within which employees observe their managers' behavior influences the way they attribute or impute intentionality to the managers' behavior. The chapter proposes a conceptualization that addresses how high performance work practices are perceived and interpreted by employees and how such perceptions and interpretations affect employee attitudes and behavior. Much of the current empowerment research interweaves structural and psychological empowerment. Psychological empowerment is considered to be the mediating variable between structural empowerment and the expected individual and organizational outcomes. When organizations contemplate the adoption of progressive work practices, management needs to give careful thought to the commitment they have to make to ensuring these practices are not simply listed, but rather are installed and implemented in their entirety.
