Using Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory To Teach Different Recruitment and Selection Paradigms

Abstract

This article makes a case for using Roald Dahl's children's fantasy and morality tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to teach recruitment and selection. It draws attention to its relevance in illustrating and explaining three different recruitment and selection paradigms: psychometric, social process, and fit. It argues that the use of this fantasy is particularly useful because its unusual nature causes students to approach the analogy in a critical fashion. Moreover, it offers a compelling approach that will stay long in students' memories. The article begins with a discussion of different recruitment and selection paradigms, which is followed by a critical explanation of how the plotlines in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory map onto these paradigms. The article ends with specific guidance to recruitment and selection teachers on different ways of using the 2005 film version of the story in the management classroom.