The role of informal networks in shaping specific HRM practices in emerging markets: evidence from the wasta and guanxi context
研究通过访谈突尼斯、黎巴嫩和中国的资深管理者，发现wasta和guanxi等非正式网络在国内企业中有益地塑造人力资源管理实践，但在外资企业中因强调公平和透明而影响减弱。
This study contributes by investigating the nature and the role played by informal networks in human resource management (HRM) practices, focusing on wasta (linked with Arab cultures) and guanxi (associated with Chinese culture) in recruitment and selection, compensation, performance appraisal, and career development. Using inductivism, we analyzed qualitative data from 44 interviews with senior managers in Tunisia, Lebanon, and China. Findings reveal that culturally driven informal networks discreetly shape HRM practices in domestic firms, where they are seen as beneficial. However, their influence in HRM is weakening in foreign firms, which prioritize fairness, meritocracy and transparency due to headquarters’ pressure and employee expectations of equal opportunity. The study identifies both similarities and differences in how wasta and guanxi impact HRM practices in emerging markets, offering theoretical and practical insights into the role of informal networks in HRM.