High-performance work systems represent one of the key topics in contemporary strategic human resource management. This study aims to examine the high-performance work systems in the IT sector of two emerging markets, Russia and India. The research, based on a survey of 132 companies, indicates that there are differences in human resource management practices between Russian and Indian IT companies, which constitute high-involvement and highcommitment work systems. Furthermore, regression analysis reveals that these systems impact a firm's performance differently. The findings extend the literature on high-performance workьsystems in knowledge-intensive firms in emerging markets.