Unlocking creativity in the ivory tower: the role of HPWS and innovative climate in China's public universities

Purpose This paper investigates how high-performance work systems (HPWS) stimulate innovation among academic staff in public universities in China. It examines the direct impact of HPWS on innovation, the mediating role of employee creativity, and the moderating effect of an organizational innovative climate. This study advances human resource management (HRM) and innovation literature by framing HPWS as a second-order construct and by offering a context-sensitive view of academic innovation. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative design was employed using survey data from 751 academic staff across 24 public universities in Western China. Structural relationships were tested with SmartPLS to assess both direct and moderated mediation effects. Findings Our findings demonstrate that HPWS significantly enhances employee creativity and innovation. Employee creativity mediates the HPWS-innovation link, while an innovative climate strengthens the positive relationship between creativity and innovation. Our findings reveal the complementary role of HPWS and organizational context in promoting innovation. Research limitations/implications Our study is limited to public universities in Western China, which may restrict generalizability. Future research should validate the model in different cultural and institutional contexts. Practical implications Our findings serve as a guide for universities seeking to harness human capital for innovation, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Our findings also support national strategies such as China's “Education Modernization 2035”. Originality/value By integrating creativity as a mediator and organizational climate as a moderator, our study offers a refined framework explaining how HPWS jointly influences employee innovation in higher education.