National and Professional: Anchoring High Performance in PTCL

With the story line of the senior HR leadership team at Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) gathered to reflect on HR function’s evolution since PTCL’s privatization in 2006 to UAE telecom conglomerate Etisalat Group, this case focuses on PTCL’s journey as this corporate giant went through large-scale structural and cultural changes in an attempt to become more performance-centric. The decade long journey covers major changes, for example, a reduction in the size of workforce from 64,000 to 18,000, a move from annual confidential reviews to a balanced scorecard approach in performance management, adoption of the HR business partner model, and various leadership development initiatives. Overall, the case presents a real-life story of evolution of the HR function from an administrative to a strategic role in a large organization. It allows for an in-depth discussion on the adoption of best practices belonging to the academic framework of high performance work practices (HPWPs), and portrays the effects of Pakistan’s distinct national culture and contextual factors on implementation of HPWPs. The case can also be used to enhance familiarity and awareness of Pakistani national culture in the international academic and business community for future research and business opportunities