Sustainable Green Human Resource Management Practices in Educational Institutions: An Interpretive Structural Modelling and Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach

Abstract

Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) is an alignment of traditional human resource practices such as strategies, policies, procedures, and rules to the latest green and sustainable environment responsive practices. Unlike corporates, the adoption of GHRM in educational institutes (EIs) is still in its infancy stage. Through an extensive literature survey, this study identified eleven challenges in adopting the GHRM “strategy”, ten on “policy”, nine on the “procedures”, and eight on framing the GHRM “rules” aspect. The aim is to identify and develop the relationship between major and minor challenges in adopting GHRM practices in EIs. Hence, this study has applied the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) technique to each GHRM practice and developed interrelation among such challenges and results verified with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The rankings of both techniques have been statistically verified with the Spearman Rank Correlation technique. The study concludes the lacking or insufficient considered four main pillars: clear vision and top management cooperation among these EIs to ensure sustainable GHRM practices from the strategy aspect perspective, benchmark in fixing accountability considering the policy aspect, suitable course curricula in universities focused on GHRM practices from procedural viewpoint, and transparency in EIs from the perspective of rules as significant challenges in GHRM adoption. The findings of the reported results can be further extended in cross-sectional and cross-cultural studies in further studies.