High-performance work practices have become a central feature of strategic human resource management research, yet most of the established models continue to reflect assumptions drawn from private-sector organisations. These models typically present high-performance work practices as a universal set of techniques that can be applied across sectors with similar effects. However, higher education operates in a very different way from corporate environments. Universities are professional, knowledge-driven communities where autonomy, collegiality, shared governance and disciplinary identity exert a strong influence on how staff interpret managerial initiatives. As a result, the direct transfer of corporate high-performance work practice frameworks into higher education often produces incomplete or misleading interpretations of staff experience and performance outcomes.

This conceptual paper argues that high-performance work practices need to be reconceptualised for the higher education sector. The paper draws on the Ability, Motivation and Opportunity (AMO) model as an organising framework, as AMO remains one of the most widely used and theoretically grounded approaches to understanding the links between human resource practices and performance. Using contemporary literature and insights that have emerged from employee perceptions in UK universities, the argument highlights several areas where current HPWP models fail to capture academic realities. These include the comparatively minor role of recruitment and selection in shaping day-to-day performance, the enduring importance of professional development, the need for meaningful performance feedback, and the particularly strong influence of opportunity-enhancing practices such as autonomy, communication, collegiality and involvement in decision-making.

The paper proposes a sector-sensitive HPWP framework that aligns more closely with the nature of academic work and the expectations of staff in universities. It concludes by discussing the theoretical implications for strategic human resource management, the practical implications for university leaders, and the avenues for future research on performance, staff wellbeing and organisational outcomes in higher education.