High-Performance Work Systems in the Australian Higher Education Sector: A Critical Review and Future Research Agenda

Abstract

The advocates of the configurational perspective view high-performance work systems (HPWS) as a complementary bundle of strategically driven and contextually specified human resource management practices that leads to employee and organisational performance through positive attitudinal outcomes. A study of the contemporary context could better configure the HPWS bundle for any industry undergoing significant transitions. Australia's higher education (HE) sector has observed significant changes since 2009 that have potentially redefined how human resource (HR) management practices interact and counteract within the system. No study to date has explored these changes and their impact on the HPWS configurations in the Australian HE industry. This study explores the changes in the Australian HE sector in recent years and identifies their strategic HR implications through a systematic review of the literature. The result will benefit the key decision-makers to configure the bundle of HPWS by confirming the external and internal fit within the transitional context of the Australian HE sector. Future researchers can use the proposed framework to design empirical studies in similar contexts.