The Role of Human Resource Management in Creating Sustainable Organizations
Master thesis

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Date
2021Metadata
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- Master of Science [1822]
Abstract
Sustainability is a thoroughly discussed topic in research. The UN define
sustainability based on three pillars: environment, finance and society (Bansal &
Des Jardine, 2014; Ehnert et al, 2016). So far, most organizations have mainly
focused on the first two pillars and less on the third pillar. Society (or people) is
mainly taken care of by human resource management (HRM). With the increasing
importance of sustainability, a new branch of HRM developed – Sustainable
HRM (Ehnert et al., 2016). This type of HRM takes a broad stance on the topic of
sustainability, integrating the environmental, economic and societal perspective. It
is of interest to companies to examine the role Sustainable HRM plays in fostering
sustainability in organizations. Previous research discussed possible tensions
between the three pillars of sustainability, a phenomenon called the Sustainability
Paradox (Ehnert, Harry, & Zink, 2014; Hahn et al., 2014; Rosati & Faria, 2019).
However, there is a lack of research concerning how organizations deal with this
paradox. This qualitative study examines how organizations perceive
sustainability, which role HRM takes regarding sustainability, and how tensions
arising from opposing goals of the three perspectives of sustainability are
resolved. The analysis is based on two types of qualitative research and data,
which are categorized and examined based on codes. The main data source are ten
semi-structured interviews conducted in five companies (five HR and five
sustainability departments) and the second data source are 52 sustainability/annual
reports. The results indicate that sustainability is mostly defined in terms of the
environmental pillar. The social pillar is increasing in relevance, especially after
the COVID-19 pandemic. When it comes to the role of HRM, it becomes clear
that it functions more as an enabler rather than an active contributor to
sustainability strategies. So far, HRM is often too limited in resources to create an
active change. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and directions
for future research given.
Description
Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Psychology - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2021