Complementarity Between The Functions And Instruments Of Internal Marketing And Human Resource Management

This paper aims to present comparatively the Internal Marketing and Human Resource Management’ domains, firstly through a theoretical perspective, and secondly, through a practical outlook. Therefore, in the first part of the paper, our main objective is to cover a complex literature review concerning the two concepts, in order to identify and analyze their functions and instruments. Moreover, in this first part of the paper, aiming to contribute to the approaches identified in the existing literature, we framed and presented a personal point of view regarding the functions and instruments of Internal Marketing. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the study of the managers’ perception regarding the interaction between Internal Marketing and Human Resource Management, in terms of functions and instruments. We carried out a qualitative analysis of the data obtained from guided in-depth interviews with managers from various hierarchical levels, in order to identify whether the interaction between the two domains can be perceived as overlapping, inclusion through extension, complementarity or independence. The results distinguish the complementarity between the above mentioned domains, from the point of view of the managers from different hierarchical levels involved in our research. The final part of the paper, draws a schematic list of the conclusions regarding the interaction between this two domains, as well as of several recommendations for companies in order to optimize their relationship with the employees, to improve their motivation, and, implicitly, to improve the individual and organizational performance.