The impact of narcoterrorism on HRM systems

Abstract

This paper presents a study on the emergence of human resource management (HRM) systems in a narcoterrorism context based on a mixed-method approach. We conducted 40 interviews at 24 firms in Mexico to explore emerging HRM systems in narcoterrorism environments. The interviews were complemented with a quantitative content analysis of 204 news stories to explore the direct and indirect impacts of narcoterrorism on firms. Our analysis of firms’ responses with respect to HRM systems, which is supported by our quantitative analysis on the impacts of narcoterrorism, indicates that trust appears to shape HRM systems. We identified an adaptation strategy to design HRM systems based on a combination of strict employee’s screening and control an emphasis on humanistic practices such as soft-skills training and development, and a flexible work schedule, which appears to facilitate the development of trust in narcoterrorism environments. Identifying the similarities of objects and issues in the narcoterrorism context can help develop an understanding of this local phenomenon, with implications for the HRM and terrorism literatures on a global scale. Our findings highlight the importance of reinforcing values such as trust, openness, involvement and participation to develop a strong HRM system to adapt to narcoterrorism environments.

Keywords:

• HRM systems
• Mexico
• narcoterrorism
• strategic HRM
• terrorism

Acknowledgements

We thank Anabella Davila, Mette Zølner, Robert Grosse, Benjamin Bader, Julian Gould-Williams and Dana Minbaeva for their helpful comments regarding earlier versions of this manuscript. We are extremely grateful for the constructive and thoughtful guidance provided by Professor Jaime Bonache editor, and by the anonymous reviewers of this paper. This work was supported by the Department of Intercultural Communication and Management at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) under grant ICM HoDD and was co-sponsored by CBS’ Competitive Platform.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.