The efficacy of high-performance-work-practices (HPWPs) in enhancing employee engagement and service-oriented organisational citizenship behaviour: A qualitative study of hotel managers and employees

Purpose: Various employee engagement strategies are proposed to boost organisational performance and business prosperity. Interestingly scholars criticize that these strategies may not always work and mixed views are proposed, leaving a glaring knowledge gap. Drawing on the theories of high-performance-work-practices (HPWPs), we conduct a qualitative study, aiming to explore how strategies affect employee engagement and analyse the underlying mechanism.

Method: We gather research data by interviewing five managers and fifteen employees in the hospitality sector. We analyse data through thematic analysis and adopt AMO model in improving the analytic rigour. Ethical practices are arranged throughout the project, including: consent form, anonymity in participation, confidentiality in responses, freedom to withdraw and data protection.

Findings: Research findings have advanced employee engagement literatures in two ways. On the one hand, when managers recognise employees’ job ability and effort, employees support engagement strategies. On the other hand, however, if managers do not appreciate employees’ job ability and effort, engagement strategies may not necessarily work.

Originality: The current research is the first in its kind, examining hotel employee engagement practice and its implications on performance management in the sector of Nigeria hospitality. Unlike prior studies which link HPWPs to performance directly, our research findings have clarified how HPWPs affect performance through the underlying factors. These are: employee engagement and managers’ attitude towards employees.

Practical implications: We suggest managers display a positive attitude towards subordinates, such as appreciating subordinates’ effort and showing trust and support, if they wish their engagement strategies maximise to the full potential, particularly when managers’ trust is perceived important by employees. Maintaining a healthy communication channel between managers and subordinates also benefits the employee engagement, working morale and overall performance.