Approaches to Studying Green Human Resource Management: Do All the Roads Lead to Rome?

Abstract

The case for Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) as a strategic lever was reinforced by earlier studies. Practices for environmental sustainability can be supported by carrying out human resource management (HRM) tasks to enhance human capital. The timely importance of the topic, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has prompted a growing scholarly interest. Scholars have employed various approaches and perspectives to address the topic and improve our understanding. Although the overarching goals of these prior efforts are noble, the following question arises: Does the end justify the means? Do all the roads lead to Rome? Or should we not assume that all roads lead to Rome, and should we choose more reliable and efficient methods? One issue that has grown simultaneously with GHRM research is methodological congruence and robustness. Due to the speed with which the GHRM scholarship increased, driven by the pull of the journal editors to demonstrate their journal’s commitment to the SDGs and the push of academics that recognized GHRM as a fertile and growing field, less attention may have been paid to robust methodologies. Moreover, the paradox of several theoretical lenses, on the one hand, and limited philosophical and methodological canons, on the other hand, may explain the disparities observed in the methods employed to address the topic, particularly in empirical research. This chapter sheds light on this matter by highlighting the approaches adopted in the empirical GHRM literature and suggesting orientations that would strengthen future GHRM empirical endeavours in making more sound contributions to the body of knowledge and avoiding academic greenwashing.