Islamic practices in staffing: a conceptual analysis on two islamic universities in Malaysia and Indonesia

There is a high number of Islamic organisations that encompass various industries such as education, hospitality, and banking and finance in both countries. In the global business arena, the halal industry is thriving, and thus it is pertinent to study the human resource (HR) practices implemented in the organisations, particularly the recruitment and selection. The objective of the study was to examine the recruitment and selection practices in two Islamic universities located in Malaysia and Indonesia. Data was collected using interviews with the relevant stakeholders in both universities. The findings indicated that the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) hires people from different countries due to its internationalisation policy and the employees had the opportunity for internal mobility due to the large number of faculties there. As for the Universitas Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor, it stresses an internal source of recruitment that comes from its Islamic boarding school (pesantren) as a way to inculcate the unique UNIDA culture and values. The students volunteered as employees in UNIDA’s diverse business units. In terms of selection, both universities shared common practices in that they stressed hiring people who have a high level of religiosity and personal values that are compatible with the universities’ philosophy. The findings of the study are to be used as a point of reference for other Islamic organisations that can emulate these good practices in their staffing practices.