Macro-institutional conditions in Ghana and the challenges to HRM program development and implementation

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) originating from advanced economies with operations in less developed host countries need to have a good understanding of the macro-institutional conditions of the host country. Given HRM practices are context-specific and embedded within the institutional and cultural settings of the host country, an exploratory qualitative study approach was employed to ascertain the host country's institutional dimensions (drivers) likely to undermine HRM program implementation in large local companies and in MNEs. Data were drawn from key stakeholder participants, including HR managers from MNE subsidiaries, domestic firms, and officials from key stakeholder institutions. The evidence points to six (6) dimensions of a less-developed host country's macro institutions that undermine firms' HRM advancement. These include the regulatory system, education and training arrangement, labor market conditions, cultural barriers, political actors' intrusion, and economic uncertainty. The implications thereof are discussed.