Title: Evaluating misalignment in academic recruitment: a case study on talent, fit, and performance in university faculty hiring

Authors: Asif Ali Rahman; Issah Gyimah; Moin Serneabat

Addresses: Leadership and People Management (LPM), University Canada West, Vancouver, Canada ' Leadership and People Management (LPM), University Canada West, Vancouver, Canada ' Learning and Development (L&D), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Regina, Canada

Abstract: This is a case study of the hiring of a university faculty 'Felix Ibe'. Felix Ibe, a confident, well-educated, and intelligent individual, faces significant challenges in his first teaching role at the University of Ikeja. His students are unhappy with his teaching methods, resulting in many complaints. Felix, accustomed to the teaching methodologies of American universities, struggles to adapt to the different approaches used in Nigerian universities. His students, who are more familiar with book learning and lack prior work experience and a solid theoretical base, struggle to grasp his practical teaching style. This situation has led the university management to reconsider their recruitment methods, questioning whether the selection process adequately addresses the differences between American and Nigerian teaching methodologies, the distinction between training and teaching cultures, and the contrast between multinational corporate and academic organisational cultures.

Keywords: human resource management; management; business; teaching; university; faculty; recruitment and selection; hiring.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2025.147323

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2025 Vol.15 No.3, pp.260 - 270

Received: 16 Sep 2024
Accepted: 31 Oct 2024
Published online: 14 Jul 2025 *

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