High performance management: a literature review

In recent years there has been widespread discussion concerning the purported shift away from Taylorism towards a new production paradigm premised upon techniques of high performance management (HPM). This paper argues that in seeking to capture the essence of the phenomenon commentators typically privilege different aspects of the management function. For example, some emphasise the importance of task formulation while others focus heavily on the management of human resources. Drawing on recent work by Bélanger et al. (2002) it is argued that any construct needs to be understood as a composite covering three discrete but related spheres: production management, work organisation and employee relations. The paper then moves on to consider the principal theoretical debates surrounding the emergent model; namely, the compatibility of HPM with neoliberal orthodoxy; the impact of HPM on productivity; and, finally, the implications of HPM vis-à-vis employees. The paper concludes that there is a need for the development of more refined analytical tools and similarly the excavation of data more sensitive to potential sectoral dynamics.