High-Performance Work Practices and Interpersonal Relationships: Laissez-Faire Leadership as a Risk Factor

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management

Background:

• High-performance work practices (HPWPs) are linked to positive organizational outcomes and employee attitudes.
• The impact of HPWPs on workplace interpersonal relations, specifically incivility, remains ambiguous.
• The moderating role of leadership styles, such as laissez-faire leadership, in the HPWP-incivility relationship requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between HPWPs and workplace incivility.
• To investigate whether laissez-faire leadership moderates the association between HPWPs and incivility.
• To understand the interplay between HR practices and leadership in shaping employee outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted with 374 participants in Belgium.
• Mediated moderation analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed.
• The study examined the moderating effect of laissez-faire leadership on the HPWP-incivility link.

Main Results:

• In the absence of laissez-faire leadership, HPWPs were associated with reduced incivility, indicating improved interpersonal relations.
• Under conditions of laissez-faire leadership, HPWPs were linked to increased competition and subsequently higher levels of incivility.
• The interaction between HR practices and leadership significantly influences employee outcomes.

Conclusions:

• HPWPs can foster better interpersonal relations by decreasing incivility, contingent on the presence of active leadership.
• Combining HPWPs with laissez-faire leadership may inadvertently promote competition and incivility.
• Organizations should integrate HPWPs with supportive leadership to maximize benefits and mitigate negative interpersonal consequences.