Azerbaijan

In this case study, we demonstrate HR specialists’ and line managers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD: the professional body representing HR professionals in the UK ¹ ) training programme delivered by a British university – Nottingham Trent University (NTU) – to an Azerbaijani subsidiary of a large multinational corporation – British Petroleum (hereafter named BP). Azerbaijan is a developing country undergoing significant transformations. As a consequence, there is lack of clarity in the role of HR specialists in this country. This provides a unique opportunity for training to effect changes and shape the HRM practices in this context. Second, the unique culture in Azerbaijan means that training programmes developed outside of this country may have to be adapted to facilitate local learning. Features and principles of the training that contributed to the training (in)effectiveness are discussed. Conclusions from this study therefore have implications for effective cross-national training.