The applicability of the Harvard and Warwick models in the development of human resource management policies of large construction companies in Ghana

Organizations develop and implement Human Resource Management (HRM) policies which are a reflection of their philosophy on how they intend to manage people. The factors outlined in existing HRM models, especially the Harvard and Warwick models, as influencing HRM policy development and practice, fall within the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal domains as well as what the Harvard model describes as organizational situational domain. These models were however developed in the North American and European contexts. The question arises as to whether these models hold true in the context of developing countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ghana to identify the factors which influence the development of HRM policies of large construction organizations operating within the Ghanaian Construction Industry. The data was analyzed using narrative and thematic analysis techniques. The results indicated that, the factors identified by respondents can be regrouped under the domains identified in the existing HRM models, suggesting that the factors to consider in the development of HRM policies in the North American and European context do hold true for the Ghanaian construction industry. However, further research is recommended to validate the factors identified in this study.