Human Resource Management in the Postsocialist Region of Central and Eastern Europe

In this chapter, the authors landscape key aspects of the historical and contemporary nature of human resource management in the postsocialist region of central and eastern Europe. The chapter commences with a background discussion of the evolution of human resource management in the region under three key periods, namely, the socialist period, the transition period, and the contemporary period. The chapter then turns to providing an account of a selected number of particular historical and contextual factors that account for some of the commonalities and differences exhibited in contemporary human resource management in the region. Chief among the factors identified are cultural determinants, variations in the control provisions that operated under socialism, the path to gradual Europeanization, the ownership structure in the economy, the shifting fortunes of trade unions, and the levels of managerial competence. Finally, drawing on three waves of Cranet data gathered between 2004/5 and 2014/15, the authors provide a summative account of selected aspects of organizational-level human resource management policy and practice in the region.