Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies

Rabii Hakiki

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

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Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies

Rabii Hakiki^*

Published in Journal of Human Resource Management (Volume 13, Issue 4)

Received: 27 November 2025 Accepted: 11 December 2025 Published: 31 December 2025

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Abstract

This study investigates how Moroccan organizations manage the balance between internal and external recruitment by focusing on managerial employee’s perceptions of fairness, transparency, and merit-based practices in promotion and internal hiring. Anchored in contemporary human resource management and organizational theory, the research demonstrates that internal recruitment allows organizations to capitalize on firm-specific human capital, strengthen employee commitment, reduce turnover, and promote organizational stability in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, energy, and public administration. However, an excessive reliance on internal mobility may limit cognitive diversity, slow skill renewal, and reinforce informal networks, ultimately constraining adaptability and innovation. These limitations emphasize the strategic role of external recruitment in bringing new competencies and diverse perspectives that foster organizational learning and renewal. The empirical findings are drawn from 40 semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers in Casablanca and Rabat. Results indicate that favoritism and informally managed networks weaken trust in human resource systems and negatively affect employee engagement. In contrast, transparent procedures, well-defined selection criteria, and ethical leadership significantly enhance perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. The study concludes that hybrid talent management strategies, integrating internal employee development with targeted external hiring, offer the most effective balance between organizational continuity, cost efficiency, and innovation. It contributes to research on internal labor markets and provides practical insights for Moroccan organizations seeking to modernize talent management practices in the context of digital transformation and persistent skill shortages.

Published in	Journal of Human Resource Management (Volume 13, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
Page(s)	126-135
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Internal Hiring, External Recruitment, Talent Management, Employee Perceptions

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Hakiki, R. (2025). Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies. Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(4), 126-135. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

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Hakiki, R. Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2025, 13(4), 126-135. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

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AMA Style

Hakiki R. Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies. J Hum Resour Manag. 2025;13(4):126-135. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

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@article{10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13,
  author = {Rabii Hakiki},
  title = {Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies},
  journal = {Journal of Human Resource Management},
  volume = {13},
  number = {4},
  pages = {126-135},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jhrm.20251304.13},
  abstract = {This study investigates how Moroccan organizations manage the balance between internal and external recruitment by focusing on managerial employee’s perceptions of fairness, transparency, and merit-based practices in promotion and internal hiring. Anchored in contemporary human resource management and organizational theory, the research demonstrates that internal recruitment allows organizations to capitalize on firm-specific human capital, strengthen employee commitment, reduce turnover, and promote organizational stability in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, energy, and public administration. However, an excessive reliance on internal mobility may limit cognitive diversity, slow skill renewal, and reinforce informal networks, ultimately constraining adaptability and innovation. These limitations emphasize the strategic role of external recruitment in bringing new competencies and diverse perspectives that foster organizational learning and renewal. The empirical findings are drawn from 40 semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers in Casablanca and Rabat. Results indicate that favoritism and informally managed networks weaken trust in human resource systems and negatively affect employee engagement. In contrast, transparent procedures, well-defined selection criteria, and ethical leadership significantly enhance perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. The study concludes that hybrid talent management strategies, integrating internal employee development with targeted external hiring, offer the most effective balance between organizational continuity, cost efficiency, and innovation. It contributes to research on internal labor markets and provides practical insights for Moroccan organizations seeking to modernize talent management practices in the context of digital transformation and persistent skill shortages.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies
AU  - Rabii Hakiki
Y1  - 2025/12/31
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
T2  - Journal of Human Resource Management
JF  - Journal of Human Resource Management
JO  - Journal of Human Resource Management
SP  - 126
EP  - 135
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-0715
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
AB  - This study investigates how Moroccan organizations manage the balance between internal and external recruitment by focusing on managerial employee’s perceptions of fairness, transparency, and merit-based practices in promotion and internal hiring. Anchored in contemporary human resource management and organizational theory, the research demonstrates that internal recruitment allows organizations to capitalize on firm-specific human capital, strengthen employee commitment, reduce turnover, and promote organizational stability in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, energy, and public administration. However, an excessive reliance on internal mobility may limit cognitive diversity, slow skill renewal, and reinforce informal networks, ultimately constraining adaptability and innovation. These limitations emphasize the strategic role of external recruitment in bringing new competencies and diverse perspectives that foster organizational learning and renewal. The empirical findings are drawn from 40 semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers in Casablanca and Rabat. Results indicate that favoritism and informally managed networks weaken trust in human resource systems and negatively affect employee engagement. In contrast, transparent procedures, well-defined selection criteria, and ethical leadership significantly enhance perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. The study concludes that hybrid talent management strategies, integrating internal employee development with targeted external hiring, offer the most effective balance between organizational continuity, cost efficiency, and innovation. It contributes to research on internal labor markets and provides practical insights for Moroccan organizations seeking to modernize talent management practices in the context of digital transformation and persistent skill shortages.
VL  - 13
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Rabii Hakiki

Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of Ain Sebaa, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco

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http://orcid.org/0009-0005-6730-1371

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Hakiki, R. (2025). Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies. Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(4), 126-135. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

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ACS Style

Hakiki, R. Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2025, 13(4), 126-135. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

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AMA Style

Hakiki R. Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies. J Hum Resour Manag. 2025;13(4):126-135. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13,
  author = {Rabii Hakiki},
  title = {Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies},
  journal = {Journal of Human Resource Management},
  volume = {13},
  number = {4},
  pages = {126-135},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jhrm.20251304.13},
  abstract = {This study investigates how Moroccan organizations manage the balance between internal and external recruitment by focusing on managerial employee’s perceptions of fairness, transparency, and merit-based practices in promotion and internal hiring. Anchored in contemporary human resource management and organizational theory, the research demonstrates that internal recruitment allows organizations to capitalize on firm-specific human capital, strengthen employee commitment, reduce turnover, and promote organizational stability in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, energy, and public administration. However, an excessive reliance on internal mobility may limit cognitive diversity, slow skill renewal, and reinforce informal networks, ultimately constraining adaptability and innovation. These limitations emphasize the strategic role of external recruitment in bringing new competencies and diverse perspectives that foster organizational learning and renewal. The empirical findings are drawn from 40 semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers in Casablanca and Rabat. Results indicate that favoritism and informally managed networks weaken trust in human resource systems and negatively affect employee engagement. In contrast, transparent procedures, well-defined selection criteria, and ethical leadership significantly enhance perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. The study concludes that hybrid talent management strategies, integrating internal employee development with targeted external hiring, offer the most effective balance between organizational continuity, cost efficiency, and innovation. It contributes to research on internal labor markets and provides practical insights for Moroccan organizations seeking to modernize talent management practices in the context of digital transformation and persistent skill shortages.},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Between Loyalty and Merit: The Dynamics of Internal and External Hiring in Moroccan Companies
AU  - Rabii Hakiki
Y1  - 2025/12/31
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
T2  - Journal of Human Resource Management
JF  - Journal of Human Resource Management
JO  - Journal of Human Resource Management
SP  - 126
EP  - 135
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-0715
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20251304.13
AB  - This study investigates how Moroccan organizations manage the balance between internal and external recruitment by focusing on managerial employee’s perceptions of fairness, transparency, and merit-based practices in promotion and internal hiring. Anchored in contemporary human resource management and organizational theory, the research demonstrates that internal recruitment allows organizations to capitalize on firm-specific human capital, strengthen employee commitment, reduce turnover, and promote organizational stability in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, energy, and public administration. However, an excessive reliance on internal mobility may limit cognitive diversity, slow skill renewal, and reinforce informal networks, ultimately constraining adaptability and innovation. These limitations emphasize the strategic role of external recruitment in bringing new competencies and diverse perspectives that foster organizational learning and renewal. The empirical findings are drawn from 40 semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers in Casablanca and Rabat. Results indicate that favoritism and informally managed networks weaken trust in human resource systems and negatively affect employee engagement. In contrast, transparent procedures, well-defined selection criteria, and ethical leadership significantly enhance perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. The study concludes that hybrid talent management strategies, integrating internal employee development with targeted external hiring, offer the most effective balance between organizational continuity, cost efficiency, and innovation. It contributes to research on internal labor markets and provides practical insights for Moroccan organizations seeking to modernize talent management practices in the context of digital transformation and persistent skill shortages.
VL  - 13
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download