A Moderated Mediation Analysis of HPWS and Work Alienation: The Roles of Thriving at Work and Promotion Focus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22555/pbr.v27i3.1449Keywords:
High-performance work system (HPWS), thriving at work, work alienation, promotion focusAbstract
This study explores how high-performance work systems (HPWS) reduce employee work alienation through a moderated mediation framework grounded in conservation of resources (COR) theory. It posits that HPWS not only directly diminishes feelings of alienation but also indirectly does so by enhancing thriving at work. Additionally, this study identifies promotion focus as a key boundary condition that strengthens the indirect HPWS ? thriving ? alienation pathway. Data were collected from 524 managerial employees in Pakistan’s banking sector, a high-pressure setting where HPWS is widely implemented, by employing a three-wave time-lagged survey with four-week intervals. Analysis using Hayes’ PROCESS macro confirmed that HPWS significantly lowers work alienation, thriving at work serves as a mediating mechanism, and promotion focus moderates the thriving–alienation relationship, with promotion-focused employees deriving greater protective benefits from it. A significant moderated mediation effect was also observed in this study. These findings contribute to COR theory by illustrating how resource gain spirals function within service industries and suggest practical interventions, such as promotion-focused training, transparent communication of HPWS goals, thriving-centered wellness initiatives, and the integration of regulatory focus principles into HR practices. The results of this study have significant practical implications for bank managers who want to alleviate work alienation by examining its causes of work alienation at the individual level.
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