A study by Associate Professor Kseniya Navazhylava, published on FNEGE Médias analyses how legal uncertainties shape the innovation of HR practices in developing countries. Focusing on remote work in Kazakhstan’s technical gas industry during a health crisis, it highlights the responsibility assumed by HR professionals when legal frameworks are fragile.
The research sheds light on how crises amplify the weight of legal ambiguities, forcing organizations to redefine the role of HR managers.
HR Practices in Times of Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented uncertainty for companies worldwide. In Kazakhstan, the technical gas industry, critical to the health sector due to its oxygen production, faced unique challenges.
Existing laws made it difficult to adapt HR practices to emergency needs. Remote work, for instance, clashed with national regulations, creating a dilemma between compliance and continuity of operations.
From Empowerment to Responsibilization
The research introduces the concept of responsibilization. Unlike empowerment, which is associated with greater autonomy and recognition, responsibilization places the burden of high-risk decisions on HR professionals.
These decisions, made under pressure and often in contradiction with existing legal frameworks, carried potential negative consequences both for employees and the organization.
Case Study Findings
Data collected from expert interviews and field notes reveal three main impacts:
- Inflexibility of HR practices due to inadequate legislation and rigid norms.
- Shift of responsibility toward HR staff, compelled to balance legal risks with urgent operational needs.
- Strategic consequences of decision-making under legal uncertainty, where short-term survival sometimes outweighed long-term compliance.
Contribution to HR Research
This study enriches the academic debate on HR management in uncertain contexts, particularly outside Western countries. It demonstrates that legal inadequacies in developing countries limit the capacity for innovation in HR, even when innovation is crucial for effective crisis response.
The concept of responsibilization provides a new analytical framework for understanding how professionals act when formal systems fail to support them.
The case of Kazakhstan illustrates the complex interplay between regulation, crisis management, and organizational transformation. It opens new avenues for examining how companies in developing economies can innovate responsibly while navigating uncertain legal environments.
