Selective Adoption of High-performance Work System Practices and Family Firms from an Institutionalism Perspective

While HPWS has been extensively studied as a set of HR practices enhancing organizational performance, its practical implementation in real-world companies has fallen short of expectations. This research investigates the nuanced approach to HPWS adoption, shedding light on the selective nature of individual practice, as op-posed to the entire system. For family businesses influenced by CEO philosophies and institutional pressures, the focus tends to shift toward adopting specific HPWS practices related to visible talent recruitment and se-lection aspects, rather than the full spectrum. Examining data from 315 Korean firms spanning 2009 to 2017, the study highlights a trend where companies with higher employee education levels or market-leading strategies lean towards HPWS adoption. However, ownership-managed firms generally exhibit lower levels of adoption. Intriguingly, a positive interplay between ownership management and HPWS practices surfaces within the re-cruitment and selection sphere, especially when coupled with educated employees and a market leadership approach.