An exploration of contextual factors affecting the nexus of competitive strategy and human resource management practices in Nigeria emerging economy context

Abstract Despite increasing calls for context-specific and practice-based strategic human resource management research in emerging economies, to date there have been limited empirical studies on Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest economies and a newly emerging economy experiencing strong economic development, rapid industrialisation, and integration into global markets. This study explores the moderating influence of contextual factors on the nexus of competitive strategy (CS) and human resource management practices (HRMPs) in Nigeria. We employ the social and comparative institutional theories to address the moderating influence of the contextual factors on the CS–HRMP nexus using a qualitative research approach. Data were collected from thirty human resource management professionals and top management across medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria via semi-structured interviews. The resulting data were analysed through thematic analysis. We establish six main contextual factors—culture and value system, religion, ethnicity and linguistic affinity, economic factors, politics and governmental policies, and quality of education and low-skilled workforce—and the processes through which these factors influence the CS–HRMP nexus in Nigeria.