People and Organizations: Principles and Practice in Global Contexts

In the increasingly competitive and globalized labor market, talent management, that is, attracting and retaining the best talent has proven to be one of the most significant strategic challenges faced by organizations. In the case of Sri Lanka, where the movement of skilled workforce has raised to historical highs during the post economic crisis period, the capacity to build an attractive employer brand and Employee Value Proposition has transformed into a marketing exercise to an imperative of HR. This raises an important question, Are organizations in Sri Lanka spending money on true employer branding or are they losing the talent wars by making empty promises and creating perception reality gaps? Figure 1: Signaling Theory in the case of Employer Branding Source: Adapted to (Spence 1973) The signaling theory as first created by (Spence, 1973) within the labor market economics is a very potent theory of interpreting how firms signal their appeal to potential and existing e...

With the affected economic crisis that Sri Lanka has experienced over the last several years and pressure to then restructure organizational functions, the notion of culture change has become an essential strategic need. Companies in all sectors are making investments in change management programs, transformational programs and cultural rebranding programs. But a basic question remains, Are organizations in Sri Lanka really changing their cultural fabric or are they simply rebranding their current behaviors in the name of change?                         Fig. 1: Schein Three Levels of Organizational Culture Source: Adapted to (Schein, 1985)   The organizational culture model by Schein is a model that is invaluable in the depth and complexity of organizational culture. As figure 1 clearly illustrates, the framework illustrates that culture is functioning at three distinc...

In an era where digital transformation has impacted all facets of an organization, human resources management has evolved into strategic driver of organizational success rather than an administrative function. With the rapid interconnectedness firms in Sri lanka have with shifting employee expectations and rapid technological changes, aligning HR approaches with the main business strategy has become a necessity for building a sustained competitive advantage. This raises a critical question, how do organizations design HR frameworks that effectively support long term performance. The HPWS framework known as the high performance work systems Cleary emphasizes on a strong foundation for this shift. The framework suggests that utilization of HR approaches such as performance management, training and employee engagement will certainly elevate organizational performance (Appelbaum et al., 2000). The framework also highlights that HR should not be viewed as an isolated practice rather than ...

The influence of AI has significantly influenced the evolution of leadership resulting in a more adaptive approach rather than conservative management practices. Leadership plays a vital role in enhancing innovation, organizational sustainability and driving transformation and these are considered core competencies due to the rise of AI. In the Sri Lankan context, the rise of AI approaches has significantly outpaced leadership readiness, raising crucial concerns about whether firms are prepared to handle the complexity around transformational change.   The transformational leadership theory emphasizes on the fundamental understanding of effective leadership. The theory clearly suggests that competent leaders have the ability to motivate, inspire and intellectually stimulate the workforce to foster a shared value proposition (Bass and Avolio, 1994). Many empirical studies suggest that following the approaches of transformational leadership has a substantial impact on adaptability,...

  Technological advancements have changed the entire landscape of businesses at present resulting in a highly competitive and globalized economy where talent retention is considered a strategic priority. In Sri lanka, this complexity is intense, with an increasing number of skilled employees seeking opportunities abroad or frequent job hopping despite the availability of local employment. These aspects often lead organizations to wonder why talent retention has become an extremely difficult facet to execute.     The framework of push pull theory of migration clearly emphasizes that the movement of employees is significantly influenced by the Push factors such as low remuneration, economic uncertainty, limited career growth within the home country and pull factors which are based on overseas work include aspects such as higher compensation, refined living standards and growing career prospects (Mohamed and Abdul-Talib, 2020). Within Sri lanka, these dynamics significantl...

Performance appraisals also known as performance reviews have been a fundamentals aspect of human resource management, designed to access and evaluate employee performance and regulate personnel goals with a firm’s objective. With the dynamic and technology driven setting at present, the existence of conventional appraisal approaches is progressively doubted with a lot of uncertainty surrounding it. In Sri Lanka, a plethora of firms continue to rely on traditional evaluation methods, inducing serious concerns about their efficacy or relevance in encouraging modern employee expectations and organizational ability to transform turbulences into opportunities. The goal setting theory emphasizes that setting specific and attainable goals along with structured feedback and commitment will certainly increase employee performance (Locke and Latham, 1990). Conservative appraisal systems are built on this specific premise, where the workforce is accessed periodically against predetermined or...

Due to organizations quest for productivity and competitiveness, many have pursued the need for implementation and performance outcomes over employee wellbeing. In Sri Lanka, this facet has become more intense due to the economic instability, where firms necessitate higher productivity with limited resources. In Sri Lanka, this subject is often oversighted, as studies prove that nearly 12% of the populace is affected by mental health concerns, while over 50% of employees regardless of their age account for experiencing workplace stress at some point in their careers (Siromani, 2022). This raises a pivotal concern within the working environment. Are firms achieving sustainable performance, or are they undermining long term productivity by neglecting employee wellbeing? The Job Demands Resources Model which emphasizes on workplace characteristics provides a useful framework to further understand this dynamic. This model suggests that excessive job demands such as raised targets, inte...

  The rapid implementation of AI practices has resulted in a widening Velocity Gap which emphasizes that technological adoption substantially outpaces adaptability. In a Sri Lankan context this disparity is evident as firms are swiftly investing in digital transformation without partiality towards investments in employee development.                     Figure 1: Disruption to core skills by 2030 Source: (World Economic Forum, 2025) As exemplified in figure 1, global evidence shows that 39% of employee skills are deemed to change by 2030, highlighting on the gap between technological development and workforce readiness (World Economic Forum, 2025). From a theoretical overview the Human Capital Theory clearly emphasizes that employee skills and knowledge are central to a firm’s productivity and long term sustainability (Becker,1964). Moreover, organizations in Sri lanka perceive tra...

  For generations a plethora of firms have always operated on unwritten agreements with their workforce. An employee’s loyalty would often be rewarded with constant career succession, stability and job security. However in today’s evolving job market the psychological contract is under heavy scrutiny. The employees are no longer loyal or under any liability to commit themselves to organizations often opting for personal growth, remuneration and are prioritizing flexibility and mobility. This leads to an imminent predicament.                                Figure 1: Comparison of Psychological and Employment Contracts Source (Jay and Boatman, n.d.) Has organizational loyalty become obsolete, particularly in emerging economies such as Sri Lanka? The framework of psychological contract (Rousseau, 1995) often emphasizes on the u...