means to an end, it is likely that when Western managers, or managers
educated in the Western tradition, try to implement ‘Western’ human resource
practices in cultures which have a different concept of the value of people,
then incompatibilities will be manifested through lack of involvement and
motivation. A study by the current author (Jackson, 2002b), in seven countries
found that the harder forms of instrumental HRM are being introduced uncrit-
ically in countries such as Russia and Poland, where there is a short-term focus
on achieving results and developing organizations along Western lines. This
may also be the case in the newly industrialized countries (NICs) such as Korea.
Also these harder forms seem to fit well with traditionally more authoritarian
management in organizations in post-Soviet and post-colonial countries.
‘Humanism’ can be defined as a regard for people as an end in themselves,
and as having a value for themselves and of themselves within an organiza-
tional context. Hence the locus of value or worth of persons in a work
organization is towards those persons in themselves rather than towards organi-
zational objectives as appropriate ends (for conceptual roots see Jackson, 1999;
Koopman, 1991; Lessem 1989; Saunders, 1998). This contrasts with ‘instru-
mentalism’ as a regard for people as a means to an end, where the focus of
value or worth is towards the ends (objectives) of the organization (see also
Jackson, 1999). This is the implicit perception of the value of people within
both the hard and soft varieties of HRM discussed above.
By employing a concept of locus of human value (instrumentalism–
humanism) we can start to explore the positives within the so-called
developing countries, and look towards the contributions that can be made if this
concept is understood and adopted in formulating people management policies
and practices. From this perspective, the paradigm behind the term developing
country is challenged, as is the assumption behind the use of the term HRM
within different contexts outside predominantly Anglophone countries. As a
generic term, the term people managementcan be adopted to overcome the culture-
boundedness of the term ‘human resource management’. This is a term increas-
ingly favoured in South Africa, for example, but in the emerging hybrid concept
and practice of Indian HRD, the term ‘human resource’ has been retained.
The term developingcountry is far more difficult to replace. ‘Post-colonial’
is perhaps too restricting. It is used in the present chapter to denote systems of
management that are a legacy of colonial times. This term, as well as ‘neo-
colonialism’ fails to acknowledge the evolving state of the country, yet provides
appropriate descriptions of power relations past and present. Although the
term ‘emerging’ has come into currency in connection with emerging markets
(i.e. for Western countries), and is perhaps inadequate in conceptual terms, it
appears to be a term that can be accepted by the ‘emerging’ country, as well
as aid agencies and multinational companies alike. It also provides a note of
optimism, as well as not providing a preconceived direction in emulating the
‘developed’ countries. Nor does it contrast directly ‘emerging–emerged’ countries.
This is therefore the term that is made use of in the remainder of this chapter.
HRM in Developing Countries 233