HR function developments in Lithuania

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of past and current developments in human resource (HR) function in Lithuania.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the antecedents of HR function developments in Lithuania through an analysis of the country's demographic, economic, legal and cultural environments and historical human resource management (HRM) developments. Current HR function status is shown through findings of an HR manager/specialist survey conducted at 119 medium‐ and large‐sized organisations, which was part of the 2008‐2009 Cranet survey.FindingsThe majority of organisations have HRM departments and an HR strategy, and in about half HR is represented on the board and is involved to some extent in business strategy development. HR responsibility is shared by line management and HR function. About 90 per cent of organisations have a mission statement and a business strategy. Trade union power is currently low due to historic and political reasons; however, findings show that it is gaining more status. About half of the organisations have developed corporate social responsibility policies, though few offer non‐statutory social welfare schemes. Reward individualisation is higher among private‐sector employers. Downward communication is used to a considerable extent by both private and public organisations, while upward communication is more extensively practised by private‐sector organisations.Practical implicationsThe paper discloses current HR function developments in Lithuania based on its historical heritage, antecedents in macro/micro environments and empirical data, which provide valuable insights for local organisations and foreign investors into current HRM status.Originality/valueThe paper discloses the influences on HR function developments and their current status in Lithuania, which are still under‐researched in the country, and contributes to HRM research in the Central and East Europe region.

Developing an understanding of the human resource (HR) complexities in Pakistan with a GLOBE cultural lens

“…As noted for collectivism, extant research indicates differences in the effectiveness of HR practices according to power distance levels. For example, processes such as 360° feedback or general employee feedback are less appealing or effective in high power distance societies, because by nature, these methods require more participation across hierarchal levels (Davis, 1998; Fletcher & Perry, 2001; Kazlauskaite & Buciuniene, 2010; Ollo-López, Bayo-Moriones, & Larraza-Kintana, 2011; Sartorius, Merino, & Carmichael, 2011; Zhang & Begley, 2011; Singh, Mohamed, & Darwish, 2013; Chen, Zhang, & Wang, 2014; Jiang, Colakoglu, Lepak, Blasi, & Kruse, 2014), seeking feedback from subordinates may appear to undermine a supervisor’s authority (Gregersen, Hite, & Black, 1996; Silva, Roque, & Caetano, 2015), and appeal processes may seem unsuitable because they challenge authority (Fletcher & Perry, 2001). Power distance also influences the design of training (Wang, Wang, Ruona, & Rojewski, 2005; Festing & Barzantny, 2008; Fu & Kamenou, 2011; Ollo-López, Bayo-Moriones, & Larraza-Kintana, 2011), compensation, appraisals (Schuler & Rogovsky, 1998; Chow, Lo, Sha, & Hong, 2006; Singh, Mohamed, & Darwish, 2013; Festing & Knappert, 2014), communication (Chen, Zhang, & Wang, 2014; Yang, Zhou, & Zhang, 2015), and career development (Aycan & Fikret-Pasa, 2003; Chow, Lo, Sha, & Hong, 2006; Festing & Barzantny, 2008; Fu & Kamenou, 2011) initiatives.…”

Reification in Market Societies: Theoretical Conceptualizations and Researchability

“…But the research done in Lithuania reveals that corporate social responsibility faces serious difficulties. For example, R. Kazlauskaitė andI. Bučiūnienė (2010: 2018) have shown that almost half of all companies had instituted some policies of social responsibility, but only a few of them took action that was not prescribed by law.…”

Labour Market Trends and Their Impact on Human Resource Management in Lithuanian Companies

“…The research of changes in the function of human resource specialists in Lithuanian organisations (Bakanauskienė et al, 2008;Jagminas et al, 2009;Kazlauskaitė et al, 2010;Lobanova, 2009, etc. ) reveals that tensions in the labour market influenced a significant growth of the functions of human resource specialists in areas such as the recruitment and selection of employees, labour security, followed by induction, appraisal, and employee training; a significant growth awaits such functions as administering the payroll, strategic planning and administration, the development of teamwork skills, projection of the organisation, and change management.…”