The reality of human resource management in Central and Eastern Europe: A special issue to mark the 20th anniversary of Cranet (the Cranfield Network on Comparative Human Resource Management)

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and contextualize this special issue of the Baltic Journal of Management and provide a route map for the reader through the various contributions.

This overarching paper contextualizes the theme and introduces the selected papers.

The findings call attention to the unique practice and research environment that is Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and highlight the varying trajectories of these economies during the post‐socialist transition.

The evidence points to a dearth of research on contemporary management practice in CEE and suggests this research context to be an important test bed for the spread and institutionalisation of international practice.

Combined the papers explore aspects of the landscape of human resource management in contemporary CEE and showcase international theoretical and empirical work focused on this region.