ABSTRACT
HR managers in Singapore and many other Asian countries are facing difficult challenges. However, with challenges come opportunities. For example, MacLachlan (1996) noted that East Asia is the best place in the world to be a personnel manager because of the focus on recruiting, training, developing, and retaining staff. Unfortunately, at present there is a dearth of qualified and professional HR managers in the region. With a few exceptions, HR function is not receiving the attention from top management that it deserves. Debrah (1994) observed that the ad hoc nature of HRM policies and practices in companies in Singapore contributed significantly to the job-hopping phenomenon. Cunningham and Debrah (1995) reported that line managers and executives took over some of the functions of HR managers because HR managers lacked the necessary skills to manage HR function competently. Khatri (2000b) noted that companies in Singapore do a poor job, especially in recruitment and selection of employees. Companies rarely use valid recruitment and selection strategies. The most common approach to selection was unstructured interviews that have low validities. Neither is performance management a particularly well-managed function. Although there is great emphasis on training and development activities, they are not aligned with organizational strategy and culture. Consequently, it is not clear how much value training and development programs are adding to organizational performance.
