Human resource management in China: what are the key issues confronting organizations and how can research help?

The human resource management (HRM) environment in China has been undergoing significant changes due to institutional, demographic and technological changes and heightened business competition domestically and internationally. At the same time, traditional cultural values remain influential in workplace relationships and affect not only the configuration of HR practices but also the way they are perceived by the workforce. In this opening paper for the special issue on Human Resource Management in China, we highlight a few organizational phenomena and challenges to HRM in China, with implications for future research. We then outline several research directions that will reflect these changes and/or incorporate cultural values. Finally, we introduce five papers included in this special issue as exemplars to encourage more research with a focus on China but with relevance to other parts of the world.