State-of-the-Art and Future Directions for Green Human Resource Management: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

The topic of environmental sustainability is generating increased concern among business executives, governments, consumers, and management scholars. As these stakeholders struggle with the challenges and opportunities presented by an array of environmental issues, HRM scholars and practitioners alike have been relatively slow to engage in the ongoing discussions and debates. Through this special issue on Green HRM, we seek to stimulate the field of HRM to expand its role in the pursuit of environmentally sustainable business. In this introduction to the special issue, we first provide an overview of the articles that appear in the special issue. Next we present a detailed discussion of research questions that arise from a consideration of several functional HRM practices, including performance management; training, development, and learning; compensation and rewards; and organizational culture. We conclude by describing opportunities for research at the intersection of strategic HRM and environmental management. If pursued with vigor, research addressing this extensive agenda could begin to establish a healthy field of Green HRM scholarship. Forschungsstand und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten für Umweltorientiertes Personalmanagement: Einführung in das Schwerpunktheft Nachhaltigkeit in Umweltfragen ist ein immer wichtigeres Anliegen für Unternehmensleitungen, Regierungen, Konsumenten und Wirtschaftswissenschaftler. Während diese Akteure mit den Herausforderungen und Möglichkeiten unterschiedlicher Umweltfragen ringen, engagieren sich Personalwirtschaftler relativ zurückhaltend in entsprechenden Diskursen. Mit diesem Sonderheft zum Umweltorientierten Personalmanagement möchten wir die Personalwirtschaft stimulieren, ihre Rolle zu erweitern und sich mehr mit umweltorientierten Nachhaltigkeitsfragen zu beschäftigen. In der Einleitung stellen wir zuerst die Beiträge dieses Heftes vor und diskutieren dann die Forschungsfragen, die sich aus einer Betrachtung verschiedener Personalfunktionen ergeben. Am Ende beschreiben wir die Möglichkeiten für Forschung an der Schnittstelle von Strategischem Personalmanagement und Umweltweltmanagement. Energisch verfolgt, kann Forschung entlang dieser extensiven Agenda helfen, Umweltorientiertes Personalmanagement zu etablieren.

Translating stakeholder pressures into environmental performance – the mediating role of green HRM practices

“…Yet, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the role of green HRM in answering to policy makers and consumer pressures (Jackson, Renwick, Jabbour, & Muller-Camen, 2011) and to achieve environmental sustainability (Jackson and Seo, 2010;Renwick et al, 2014). In this regard, this paper aims to overcome two specific knowledge gaps, namely: (i) the stakeholder pressures on environmental issues that lead firms to implement green HRM practices; and (ii) the distinct mediating roles that specific green HRM practices play in the pressureperformance relation.…”

Green human resource management: a comparative qualitative case study of a United States multinational corporation

“…Training programmes tailored to addressing environmental concerns can involve a three-stage planning process (Fernández, Junquera, & Ordiz, 2012) beginning with establishing the need and rationale for the training, defining the training programme objectives and developing content that aligns with the corporate objectives. Similarly, Jackson, Renwick, Jabbour, and Muller-Camen (2011) Jabbour (2013b) empirical study links environmental training positively and significantly to the level of maturity in environmental management in companies. Renwick et al (2013) classified a number of different roles that HR managers may take-up in Environmental Management; these range from 'light green' to 'dark green' based on environmental competencies and business experience.…”

Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world's largest companies

“…Sustainable HRM can be defined as the adoption of HRM strategies and practices that enable the achievement of financial, social and ecological goals, with an impact inside and outside of the organisation and over a long-term time horizon while controlling for unintended side effects and negative feedback. This definition highlights two components of Sustainable HRM: (1) the recognition of multiple, potentially contradictory, economic, ecological and social goals such as human sustainability (Docherty, Kira, & Shani, 2009;Wilkinson et al, 2001) or ecological sustainability (Jackson, Renwick, Jabbour, & Muller-Camen, 2011) and (2) complex interrelations between HRM systems and their internal and external environments with particular emphasis on relationships which allow the long-term reproduction of resources (Ehnert, 2009b) and which control externalities (Mariappanadar, 2003). As a theoretical background for operationalising Sustainable HRM, three approaches have been suggested in the literature, namely paradox theory (Ehnert, 2009b), a theory of negative externalities and stakeholder harm (Mariappanadar, 2012(Mariappanadar, , 2013 and stakeholder theory (Guerci, 2011;Guerci & Pedrini, 2014).…”