THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTITIONERS WITHIN A CONTEXT: Should There Be A Unique Role For African HR Practitioners?

Problem Statement: This paper uses regulatory pillar of institutional theory to explore the adoption of workplace policies and the potential influence of Human Resource (HR) factors. The recent business environment characterised by social and economic uncertainty in Africa has provided HR professionals the opportunity to play a more proactive role in influencing important organizational outcomes. Method: Our investigation focused on a survey data collected from 152 randomly selected private companies in Malawi. Results: The findings revealed a significant relationship between the existence of HR professionals and the adoption of formal HI V/AIDS workplace policy. Also, the results indicate that organizations’ response to HI V/A IDS workplace policy is significantly related to the participation of HR practitioners in inter-organizational activities directly associated with the HI V/AIDS campaign. Conclusion: The paper calls for the re-conceptualisation of the role of HR practitioners in Africa to take into account of the socio-economic context of the region. The findings suggest that HR practitioners can improve their image by taking on new role beyond the “factory gate ”. We suggest this role to be termed community advocate role.