Take the Bull by the Horns: Acquiring Firm‐Specific Human Capital From High‐Performance Work System Under
AI
Awareness
Guanglei Zhang, Puzhen Xiong, Yuheng He, Huan Cheng ABSTRACT
Despite the strategic importance of firm‐specific human capital in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), empirical evidence on the effectiveness of high‐performance work system (HPWS) in building this individual‐level asset remains inconsistent and insufficiently contextualized. Drawing on human capital theory and conservation of resources theory, this study examines how AI awareness serves as a critical boundary condition that dictates the efficacy of HPWS in generating individual perceived firm‐specific human capital. Through two multi‐wave studies involving 386 manufacturing and 278 service frontline employees in China, we find that the positive influence of HPWS on firm‐specific human capital is significantly amplified among employees with high AI awareness; furthermore, this accumulated firm‐specific human capital subsequently enhances both innovation and task performance. This research addresses prior inconsistent findings by strategically aligning organizational practices with employees' vocational concerns, thereby advancing a micro‐level understanding of human capital creation and offering actionable insights for organizations in the Asia‐Pacific region to sustain competitive advantage in an AI‐disrupted landscape.