ABSTRACT Research on how to leverage high‐performance work systems (HPWS) and other strategic human resource management (HRM) systems to improve performance outcomes has long been a cornerstone of the HRM discipline. This study offers a comprehensive mapping of the field through bibliometric analysis and a thematic synthesis of 3503 peer‐reviewed articles published across 156 leading journals from 1995 to 2025. By revisiting the HRM‐performance relationship and tracing the evolving trajectories of scholarly inquiry, the review identifies four major thematic domains: (1) configurational HRM architectures, (2) multilevel HRM‐performance impacts, (3) “black box” mechanisms that mediate and moderate the HRM‐performance link, and (4) emerging topics in HRM systems in responding to crises and socio‐technological changes. The review finds evidence for complex transmitting patterns through which HRM systems improve performance, characterized by a horizontally interwoven and vertically multi‐level nature. The study addresses longstanding conceptual fragmentation by clarifying the structure and theorization of HRM systems and contributes a synthesized framework to guide future research. It also highlights promising but underexplored avenues, such as the role of algorithmic HRM, methodological pluralism, and configurational logics, in advancing the understanding of HRM‐performance dynamics. Practical implications are elaborated, translating theoretical findings into actionable guidance for practitioners.
Zhai et al. (Wed,) studied this question.