Human resource management practice and institutional constraints The case of Mozambique

Abstract

Purpose -This article aims to explore the nature of contemporary HRM practice in Mozambique, and the extent to which ''best practice'' HRM strategies are likely to emerge, given present institutional realities. Design/methodology/approach -The research was based on an extensive survey of Mozambican employers concentrated in the major urban centres of the country. Findings -The survey revealed little evidence of innovation or of leading edge practices, other than in a small minority of firms. It is concluded that the diffusion of higher value added managerial strategies is only likely to take place in a more supportive institutional context. Practical implications -The failure of innovative HRM techniques to diffuse across the economy, despite heightened external pressures, highlights organizational inertia, including the continued reliance of many firms on low-paid and low-skilled workers, and on autocratic paternalism. It remains uncertain whether a more ''high value'' added path is viable in a context of cut-throat competition from abroad. Originality/value -The Mozambique experience underscores the importance of an institutional context which encourages firms to buy into mutually advantageous sets of rules governing fair play and limits the rewards accruing to bad practice. Whilst the more efficient enforcement of legislation may encourage the broader adoption of ''high road'' practices, their sustainability is, at least in part, contingent on the diffusion and reconstitution of supportive conventions; regrettably, this makes it extremely difficult to depart from the low value added path.

Institutional legacies and HRM: similarities and differences in HRM practices in Portugal and Mozambique

“…However, the tradition of patriarchal managerialism might suggest that general meetings, whereby managers inform workers of organizational developments in their own terms may be the most common communication device (Webster & Wood, 2005). Again, it could be argued that their use will be more pronounced in Mozambique than Portugal.…”

“…A new tripartite negotiating forum, the Consultative Labour Commission, set a minimum wage, but enforcement of agreements was uneven or weak (Webster, Wood, & Brookes, 2006). Throughout all these changes, there were strong continuities in Mozambican work and employment relations, with divisions between larger firms (often either currently or previously state owned), SMEs, and a very large informal sector, with a legacy of authoritarian management (Dibben & Nadin, 2011;Webster & Wood, 2005;Wood et al, 2010).…”

What do we know about cross-country comparative studies in HRM? A critical review of literature in the period of 2000-2014

“…Other accounts have argued that whilst the operation of such networks might mitigate the effects of embedded authoritarian managerial practices through creating mutual notions of obligation and responsibility, they ultimately provide ad hoc compromises or solutions (e.g. informal cash loans to staff to mitigate the effects of low wages, ad hoc leave arrangements in response to family crises, the recruitment of relatives of existing staff) that do nothing to promote genuine co-determination (Webster and Wood 2005).…”

“…Critics have argued that extended networks of support might primarily serve the function of enriching insiders at the expense of other stakeholders, or subject the organization to a greater range of competing pressures than it can cope with (c.f. Webster et al 2005). Other accounts have argued that whilst the operation of such networks might mitigate the effects of embedded authoritarian managerial practices through creating mutual notions of obligation and responsibility, they ultimately provide ad hoc compromises or solutions (e.g.…”

International Homogenization or the Persistence of National Practices?

“…Whilst it might be assumed that this would force firms in the direction of the "low road" model, this would discount the importance of continuities stretching back to the colonial era. The latter would include a legacy of autocratic managerial practices tempered by paternalism, the importance of personal networks both in terms of recruitment and inter-firm relationships, and a communitarian culture reinforced by mutual rights and obligations (Kamoche, 2002;Jackson, 2002;Webster and Wood, 2005). Such practices meld unitarist managerial strategies with emergent and innovative alternatives, well equipped to withstand external shocks (Jackson, 2002).…”