Catalysts of change: high performance work system, employee creativity and innovative climate in China’s public universities

Purpose This study investigates how high performance work system (HPWS) promotes creativity and innovation among academic staff in China’s public universities. It examines employee creativity as a proximal psychological mechanism linking HPWS to innovation and examines organizational innovative climate as a contextual factor that strengthens this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on survey data from 751 academic staff across public universities in Western China, this study adopts a quantitative approach and tests the hypothesized relationships through SmartPLS. Findings Our findings reveal that HPWS significantly enhances employee creativity (ß = 0.641, p < 0.001), which subsequently drives innovation (ß = 0.236, p < 0.001). HPWS also has a direct positive effect on innovation (ß = 0.400, p < 0.001). The indirect mediation effect of creativity is significant (ß = 0.151, 95% CI [0.094, 0.208]), and an innovative climate positively moderates the creativity-innovation relationship (t = 4.780, p < 0.001). Originality/value While prior research has predominantly examined HPWS in profit-driven or resource-rich sectors, this study extends the theory to mission-driven, resource-constrained universities, providing a human-centered explanation of how HR systems stimulate innovation in higher education. By integrating Social Exchange Theory and the Job Demands-Resources framework, our study explains the mechanisms and boundary conditions of HPWS-driven innovation, offering recommendations for policymakers and university administrators seeking to promote sustainable, creativity-driven academic environments.