Research on recruitment has neglected the possible influence of political instability and civil wars. This article seeks to redress this gap, by providing insights into recruitment and selection criteria in African countries during a time of political instability, based on the case of Algeria. The research focuses on how small businesses in highly unstable political environments vet candidates, the recruitment channels they use, and the type of criteria small businesses use during the recruitment process. Through interviews with 14 managers of small and medium sized enterprises, data were collected on recruitment and selection criteria of 144 employees. It was found that a tradition of basing recruitment on extended family networks has mutated into narrower and more confining networks based on trust.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Axelrod, Robert (1984) The Evolution of Cooperation. New York: Basic Books .
2.
Baali, S.M. (2000) Tachreea al Amal fi al Djazaer (Employment Law in Algeria). Daar Al Ouloum: Batna (in Arabic).
3.
Bateson, P. (1988) ‘The Biological Evolution of Cooperation and Trust’, in D. Gambetta (ed.) Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations, pp. 14-30. New York: Basil Blackwell .
4.
Beloula, T. (1995) Droit du travail. Alger: Edition Dahleb .
5.
Benbadis, F., Kechrani, K. and Linotte, D. (1980) ‘Le status general du travailleur Algerien et l’evolution de la fonction publique’, Revue de Droit Public, No. 01.
6.
Boon, S.D. and Holmes, J.G. (1991) ‘The Dynamics of Interpersonal Trust: Resolving Uncertainty in the Face of Risk’, in R.A. Hinde and J. Groebel (eds) Cooperation and Prosocial Behavior, pp. 167-182. New York: Cambridge University Press .
7.
Bouyacoub, A. (2001) ‘Entreprises publiques, ajustement structurelle et privatisation’ , Les cahiers du CREAD57(3): 75-91 .
8.
Branine, M. (2001) ‘Human Resource Management in Algeria’, in P. Budhwar and Y. Debrah (eds) Human Resource Management in Developing Countries. London: Routledge .
9.
Brannen, J. (ed.) (1992) Mixing Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Research. Aldershot: Avebury .
10.
Brislin, R.W. (1986) ‘The Wording and Translation of Research Instruments’, in W.J. Lonner and J.W. Berry (eds) Field Methods in Cross-cultural Research, pp. 137-164). Newbury Park, CA: Sage .
11.
Brockner, J., Siegel, P.A., Daly, J.P. and Tyler, T. (1997) ‘When Trust Matters: The Moderating Effects of Outcome Favorability’ , Administrative Science Quarterly34: 558-583 .
12.
Budhwar, P. and Debrah, Y. (2001) ‘Introduction’, in P. Budhwar and Y. Debrah (eds) Human Resource Management in Developing Countries. London: Routledge .
13.
Carroll, M., Marchington, M., Earnshaw, J. and Taylor, S. (1999) ‘Recruitment in Small Firms’ , Employee Relations21(3): 236-250 .
14.
Chikhi, S. (1992) ‘The Worker, The Prince and the Facts of Life: The Merge of Modernity in Algeria’, in El-Kenzet al. (eds) The Challenge of Modernity. Algiers: n.p .
15.
Coleman, J.S. (1993) ‘The Rational Reconstruction of Society’ , American Sociological Review58: 1-15 .
16.
Debrah, Y. and Budhwar, P. (2001) ‘International Competitive Pressures and the Challenges for HRM in Developing Countries’, in P. Budhwar and Y. Debrah (eds) Human Resource Management in Developing Countries. London: Routledge .
17.
Earnshaw, J. and Taylor, S. (1999) ‘Recruitment in Small Firms: Processes, Methods and Problems’ , Employee Relations21(3): 23-25 .
18.
Fukuyama, F. (1995) Trust: The Social Virtues, and the Creation of Prosperity. London: Hamish Hamilton .
19.
Hyden, G. (1983) No Shortcuts to Progress. Nairobi: Heinemann .
20.
Hyden, G. (1998) ‘Rethinking the Study of African Politics’, in R. Haines and G. Wood (eds) Africa After Modernity: Alternative Perspectives. Port Elizabeth: IPDR .
21.
Kalyvas, N.S. (1999) ‘Wanton and Senseless? The Logic of Massacres in Algeria’ , Rationality and Society11(3): 243-285 .
22.
Lane, C. (1998) ‘Theories and Issues in the Study of Trust’, in C. Lane (ed.) Trust With and Between Organizations. Oxford: Oxford University Press .
23.
Marsden, D. (1999) A Theory of Employment Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press .
24.
Mayer, R.C., Davis, J.H. and Schoorman, F.D. (1995) ‘An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust’ , Academy of Management Review20: 709-734 .
25.
Mellahi, K. (1998) ‘HRM in Less Developed Countries: The Case of the Algerian Automotive Industry’ , in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference Managing Innovative Manufacturing, pp. 286-292 . Nottingham: The University of Nottingham.
26.
Mellahi, K. and Frynas, J.G. (2003) ‘An Exploratory Study into the Applicability of Western HRM Practices in Developing Countries: An Algerian Case Study’ , International Journal of Commerce and Management(forthcoming).
27.
Mentri, M. (1986) Essai d’analyse de la legislation et de la reglementation de travail en Algerie. Alger: O.P.U .
28.
Ministère de la PME (2000) ‘Etat des lieux des PME/PMI’, Algiers , June.
29.
Mokadem, A. (1989) ‘The Impact of Industrial Values, Organizational Values and their Interactions on Attitudes, Behaviour and Organizational Performance: The Case of Algeria’, unpublished PhD thesis, University College, Cardiff (Wales).
30.
Musah, Abdel-Fatau (2002) ‘Privatization of Security, Arms Proliferation and the Process of State Collapse in Africa’ , Development and Change33(5): 911-933 .
Tayeb, M.H. (1995) ‘The Competitive Advantage of Nations: The Role of HRM and its Socio-cultural Context’ , International Journal of Human Resource Management6(3): 588-605 .
34.
Tayeb, M. (1997) ‘Islamic Revival in Asia and Human Resource Management’ , Employee Relations19(4): 352-364 .
35.
Testas, A. (2002) ‘Political Repression, Democratization and Civil Conflict in Post-independence Algeria’ , Democratization9(4): 106-121 .
36.
Tordoff, W. (1984) Government and Politics in Africa. London: Macmillan .
37.
Whitley, R. (1999) Divergent Capitalisms. Oxford: Oxford University Press .
38.
Xin, R.K. and Pearce, L.J. (1996) ‘Guanxi: Connections as Substitutes for Formal Institutional Support’ , Academy of Management Journal39(6): 1641-1658 .
