Empirical Study on the Impact of Select Green HRM Dimensions on Green Innovation Culture

Introduction

In recent times, there has been an escalating focus in both academic and industrial circles on the subject of environmental sustainability, colloquially termed “going green.” The scholarly narrative has transitioned from an overarching emphasis on eco-conscious corporate activities to the specific “greening” of various organizational functions (Muisyo & Qin, 2021). In the prevailing cutthroat global business environment, enterprises are mandated to be not only operationally efficient and value-centric but also ecologically accountable. This heightened global sensitivity toward environmental aspects has fast-tracked the assimilation of green strategies in the business realm, enabling firms to achieve a dual character of being both “green and competitive” (Doghan et al., 2022).

Human Resource Management (HRM) is a crucial catalyst in propelling this green agenda, as corroborated by multiple studies including that of Muisyo et al., (2021). The infusion of green initiatives into HRM protocols can substantially elevate an organisation's likelihood of attaining enduring sustainability (Doghan et al., 2022).

In rapidly developing economies like India, cultivating a workforce that is attuned to environmental sustainability is critical. Recent alterations in the global economic dynamics have thrust emerging markets into prominence, chiefly due to their extensive resource utilization aimed at augmenting their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Al-Swidi et al., 2021). Owing to their abundant talent and resource pools, companies across various sectors worldwide find these markets increasingly appealing. Sharma et al., (2021) underscore that the preponderance of green HRM scholarship is predicated on Western frameworks, thereby accentuating the necessity for more geographically pertinent insights into green HRM practices within the Indian context.

The extant literature on green HRM has largely concentrated on its association with green innovation culture, according to current scholarly findings. While prior research has examined the nexus between Green HRM and eco-conscious creativity, the connection between green HRM and an organisation's green innovation culture remains inadequately probed. Supporting this viewpoint, Benevene and Buonomo (2020) argue that HRM can act as a facilitator in devising and executing green protocols across different organisational strata. Concurring with this, Muisyo et al. (2022) also underscore a notable research lacuna related to green HRM and green innovation culture. Reinforcing this notion, Yan and Hu (2021) found that enterprises with substantial investments in green HRM are not only compliant with rigorous global environmental norms but also gain a competitive upper hand owing to heightened consumer environmental consciousness. Hence, in rising economies, prioritizing green HRM becomes imperative for environmental stewardship, talent acquisition, and competitive positioning (Muisyo, Qin, Ho, et al., 2021). Therefore, delving deeper into this subject offers a fertile ground for prospective academic inquiries.