Abstract
The increasing interest in sustainability has led to the emergence of a new research focus in the field of human resource management (HRM). HRM scholars have recently begun to explore how HRM might contribute to sustainable outcomes and coined the term ‘sustainable human resource management’(S-HRM). In this bibliometric review, science mapping tools were used to examine 475 Scopus-indexed documents on S-HRM. The objectives of the review were to analyze the size, evolution, and regional distribution of this knowledge base, identify key journals, documents, as well as authors, examine the intellectual structure of this literature, and highlight topical trends. The review revealed a knowledge base that is still in the emergent phase, with a global scope but a concentration in Western developed societies. Four Schools of Thought emerged within this field. This review hopes to guide a new generation of S-HRM scholars by providing an overview of the current status of the knowledge base.
Highlights
The literature on “strategic human resource management” viewed the term ‘strategic’ as equivalent to supporting a firm in achieving ‘economic performance’
The temporal keyword analysis highlights the very recent link between green human resource management (HRM) and supply chain management which indicates a new ‘research front’ in this field of sustainability research. This science mapping review of the research on S-HRM aimed to provide an overview of the current status of this young knowledge base
Our analysis of the intellectual structure of the S-HRM field positioned it at the intersection of strategic HRM, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate sustainability, and supply chain management
Summary
The literature on “strategic human resource management” viewed the term ‘strategic’ as equivalent to supporting a firm in achieving ‘economic performance’. The implicit focus was put on effectiveness and the economic value added by human resource (HR) activities to firm performance [1]. Often, this included a short-term view of profitability. The so called ‘triple bottom line’ [2] introduced a broader perspective on how firms create value This was accompanied by a change in focus from short-term profitability to longer-term success based on multiple indicators. Within the broad field of HRM, a variety of conceptualizations have been introduced including both green HRM which focuses on ecological aspects, to S-HRM which implies a broader focus on sustainable outcomes of the firm. The emerging field of S-HRM incorporates both macro perspectives on how HRM contributes to sustainable outcomes as well as meso and micro perspectives on how to make HRM itself more sustainable
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