Reducing environmental uncertainty: How high performance work systems moderate the resource dependence‐firm performance relationship

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1412
• Date: 01 June 2018
• Published date: 01 June 2018

Reducing environmental uncertainty: How high

performance work systems moderate the resource

dependence-firm performance relationship

Josh Bendickson*

East Carolina University

Furkan A. Gur

Northern Illinois University

Erik C. Taylor

Louisiana State University

Abstract

Firm performance is a major concern for all organizations

and involves a multitude of antecedents. Reducing environ-

mental uncertainty and dependency through the use of

strategic actions in the resource dependency theory (RDT)

framework and enhancing work practices through high

performance work systems (HPWS) lead to higher levels of

f‌irm performance. We reveal the interconnectivity between

RDT and HPWS and develop propositions as to how

components of HPWS positively moderate the relationship

between f‌irm performance and the environmental

uncertainty-reducing strategic actions proposed by RDT

such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, boards of

directors, political action, and executive succession. Copy-

right © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: environmental uncertainty, high performance

work systems (HPWS), human capital, resource dependency

theory (RDT)

Résumé

La performance de l’entreprise préoccupe au plus haut point

les organisations et repose sur une multitude de facteurs. La

réduction de l’incertitude environnementale et de la dépen-

dance à travers des actions stratégiques entreprises dans

le cadre de la théorie de la dépendance envers les ressources

(RDT) et l’amélioration des pratiques professionnelles à

travers les systèmes de travail hautement performants

(HPWS) entraînent des niveaux élevés de performance.

Nous montrons l’interdépendance entre le RDT et le HPWS

et formulons des propositions pour expliquer comment les

composants du HPWS modèrent positivement la relation

entre d’une part la performance de l’entreprise et d’autre

part l’incertitude environnementale et la réduction des

actions stratégiques proposées par la RDT. Ces actions sont,

entre autres, les fusions et les acquisitions, les coentreprises,

les conseils d’administration, les actions politiques et la

relève des cadres. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by

John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mots-clés : incertitude environnementale, systèmes de tra-

vail hautement performants (HPWS), capital humain, théorie

de la dépendance envers les ressources (RDT)

In their seminal statement of resource dependence

theory (RDT), Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) argued that f‌irms

are dependent on external resources as well as the other

actors in the environment that impact and control those

resources to achieve their goals. Yet, these other organiza-

tions are motivated by diverse interests and objectives, giv-

ing rise to uncertainty in the environment that increases the

diff‌iculty in attaining critical resources and maintaining via-

bility. RDTasserts that the main task of organizational man-

agement is to build and maintain a coalition to manage this

environmental uncertainty and ensure the continued support

and survival of the organization (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978).

However, research in the f‌ield of RDT has stalled and fre-

quently been referred to as a metaphor for organizational ac-

tivity (Pfeffer, 2003) and a ceremonial cite used to

acknowledge the presence and inf‌luence of external uncer-

tainty and inf‌luence (Wry, Cobb, & Aldrich, 2013) despite

its still-present potential to explain important organizational

phenomena.

*Please address correspondence to: Josh Bendickson, B.I. Moody III

College of Business Administration, University of Louisiana at Lafayette,

Lafayette, Louisiana. Email: jxb3925@louisiana.edu

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Revue canadienne des sciences de l'administration

35: 252–264 (2018)

Published online 9 November 2016 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.1412

Can J Adm Sci

35(2), 252–264 (2018)Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 252