Advancing the sustainability agenda through strategic human resource management: Insights and suggestions for future research

Abstract

How can human resource management (HRM), as both a scholarly discourse and a corporate strategic function, advance the sustainability agenda? We endeavor to answer this question by drawing together insights gleamed from the emerging sustainable HRM literature. First, we synthesize various conceptualizations and theoretical perspectives on the topic, including frames of reference from strategic HRM, institutional theory and institutional logics, stakeholder theory, and sustainable careers/life cycle theory. Second, we unpack and contextualize the sustainable HRM literature through the lens of international HRM. Third, we consolidate the extant literature and present an agenda for future research, calling for further exploration of topics that are likely to hit the next high wave of generating new strategic HRM insights and sustainable HRM knowledge.

Human resource management in the age of generative artificial intelligence: Perspectives and research directions on ChatGPT

“…A key challenge sustainable HRM faces in achieving widespread implementation is that it requires a new, multipurpose model of organizational effectiveness that conflicts with the traditional market-oriented model (Ren et al, 2023;Stahl et al, 2020). HRM professionals, in their unique and important role as institutional entrepreneurs (Ren & Jackson, 2020), often struggle to find actionable guidance on how to promote institutional changes towards sustainability.…”

“…As salary transparency continues to take root, can ChatGPT help HR professionals reduce the gender pay gap and inequalities by providing a good reference point for objective and data-driven recommendations for competitive pay, rewards, incentives, and other benefit programmes? Sustainable HRM concerns systems, practices and policies that ensure the supply of a sustained workforce while also considering the economic, social and environmental impact of these practices (Aust et al, 2020;Ren et al, 2023). As a relatively new concept, it emerges in response to a growing recognition of the need to align HRM practices with sustainability goals and values (Westerman et al, 2020).…”

Due responsibility and true responsibility: a moderated‐mediation model linking green‐harmonious human resource practice to employee organizational citizenship behavior

“…In response to daunting societal challenges to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, society has put forward higher requirements for corporate green management and stakeholders' satisfaction, making sustainable development an urgent issue for enterprises (Ren et al 2023). In this context, the traditional economically oriented human resource management (HRM) is no longer compatible with the development goals of enterprises, and the sustainability of HRM has increasingly attracted the attention of scholars (J€ arlstr€ om, Saru and Vanhala 2018;Kramar 2022).…”

“…In the Chinese context characterized by 'dual carbon' and 'common prosperity' goals, we address this gap by introducing the concept of green-harmonious human resource practice (GH-HRP) with 'green' and 'harmony' both as strategic orientations of HRM (Chen et al 2016;Jackson, Schuler and Jiang 2014;Paulet, Holland and Morgan 2021;Ren et al 2023). Corresponding to the 'dual carbon' goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, 'green' denotes the greenness and harmlessness to the ecological environment in the production, operation, and management process (Luu 2019).…”

“…First, this study is the first to explicitly conceptualize GH-HRP in the Chinese context. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, we clarify the connotation of GH-HRP and develop a fourdimension, 16-item GH-HRP scale, thus responding to the call of Ren et al (2023) to focus on the localized research on sustainable HRM. Second, we employ SIP theory to reveal the underlying mechanisms between GH-HRP and employee OCB by examining the mediating role of duty orientation and meaning of work (Zhang, Wang and Jia 2022), which provides a new theoretical framework for understanding how to translate HRM practices into positive employee outcomes.…”