While the developing–developed world paradigm reflects the traditions of
the convergence thesis (from Kerr, Dunlop, Harbison and Myers, 1960) which
takes the view that cultures are moving together and (often tacitly) accepting
the universality of American theory and methods in management in emerging
countries, crossvergence theory looks at the different influences on the develop-
ment of hybrid forms of management: a process that is very important in
post-colonial countries.
Concepts of crossvergence have been operationalized and researched in
other regions such as Hong Kong (Priem, Love and Shaffer, 2000). These studies
indicate that rather than a tendency of convergence (the coming together of
value systems) in regions and countries that have had high levels of influence
from other cultures, there is a tendency to crossvergence (developing of hybrid
values or management systems as a result of cultural interactions). The nature
of change, and continued influences from different cultural sources in emerg-
ing countries may indicate the development of hybrid systems of various
forms. Some of these may be highly adaptive and effective in managing cross-
cultural dynamics, and in managing the different requirements of instrumen-
tal and humanistic perspectives. Some may be maladaptive. There is evidence
from India (Rao, 1996) that hybrid ‘human resource development’ systems are
being designed to manage the different Western (instrumental) and Indian
(humanistic) orientations in organizations. Their applicability in other regions
such as sub-Saharan Africa needs to be investigated, as well as good practice
being developed in Africa (Cashbuild in South Africa may be an example:
Koopman, 1991).
Indian HRDIndian management practitioners and academics have developed a distinctive
approach to Human Resource Development (HRD being a preferred term to that
of HRM, and by way of distancing from Anglophone practices which empha-
size the resource side of the equation: Sparrow and Budhwar, 1995). HRD
approaches are increasingly playing a role in organizational responses to issues
arising from liberalization. Accustomed to operating in protected markets, organi-
zations are having to learn to manage combining the virtues of conflicting
market models, rather than relying exclusively on a single set of pre-conditioned
theoretically validated policies. HRD therefore addresses the need to arrest dete-
riorating values, building up organizational and cultural strengths, broadening
the philosophy of tolerance and sacrifice and displaying deep concern for
people (Rohmetra, 1998). HRD as a ‘humanistic’ concept and a subsuming norm
that guides management approaches to its employees has come to assume a
critical role in Indian management thought and practice. As a management philo-
sophy, HRD involves a paradigm shift from the old approach of control to the
new approach of involvement and self-development (Silvera, 1988) and would
be more closely aligned with the ‘soft’ approach to HRM.236 International Human Resource Management