Beyond mutual gains and conflicting outcomes: a functional ambivalence perspective on high-performance work systems

Employee Relations. 2026. Vol. 48. No. 9. P. 272–297.

Evgeniya Balabanova, Koveshnikov A., Ehrnrooth M.

Purpose – To shed new light on the nature and influence of high-performance work systems (HPWS), this study investigates the relationships between ability-, motivation- and opportunity-enhancing (AMO) bundles of HPWS and employee psychological well-being – measured as work engagement – via two psychological pathways: employee self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion.
Design/methodology/approach – The study analyzes data from Russian employees working in domestic (n = 403) and foreign-owned (n = 110) firms.
Findings – The study offers partial support for the conflicting outcomes perspective on HPWS. It explains these mixed findings by highlighting the intended and unintended consequences of organizational interventions.
Originality/value – The study provides initial evidence for a contingency perspective on HPWS effects by extending the analysis of employee resources and well-being to the high-power-distance context of Russia and examining whether these effects vary by organizational ownership (domestic versus foreign-owned).

Keywords: Россия, Russia, самоэффективность, work engagement, self-efficacy, вовлеченность в работу, emotional exhaustion, эмоциональное истощение, HPWS, AMO bundles, Mutual gains, Системы управления человеческими ресурсами, Виды УЧР-практик, Обоюдная выгода