Green Human Resource Management and Organizational Performance: A Systematic Review

Leanna Lawter () and Petra Garnjost
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Leanna Lawter: Department of Business, Wheaton College, 26 E. Main Street, Norton, MA 02667, USA
Petra Garnjost: Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes, Campus Rotenbühl, Waldhausweg 14, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to investigate how GHRM impacts organizational performance measures related to social impact, environmental performance, sustainable performance, firm performance, and/or green innovation. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol process, a total of 180 studies were identified that met the search criteria. Utilizing AI tools and Excel, a bibliometric analysis was conducted that assessed publication trends such as the year of publication, academic journal, study country, and industry. The second stage of analyses assessing the reported results on the key performance measures was conducted on 136 of the 180 studies where full texts were available to the authors. The analysis showed that there has been a large increase in the number of publications over the last three years, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Further, the results show that GRHM has a direct positive impact on environmental performance, sustainability goals/sustainable performance, and green innovation. The impact of GHRM on firm financial performance is less clear as this relationship is more indirect than direct. This paper is one of the first reviews that examines the relationship between strategic organizational-level performance measures and GHRM. The review also identifies gaps in the literature, recommendations for best practices in measurement, and future directions for research.

Keywords: green human resource management; organizational performance; sustainable performance; environmental performance; green innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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