Sustainable development goals and new approaches to HRM: Why HRM specialists will not reach the sustainable development goals and why it matters

Brewster, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5314-1518 and Brookes, M. (2024) Sustainable development goals and new approaches to HRM: Why HRM specialists will not reach the sustainable development goals and why it matters. German Journal of Human Resource Management. ISSN 2397-0030 doi: 10.1177/23970022241229037

Abstract/Summary

Many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals apply directly to human resource management within organisations, and most of them have indirect relevance. It is clear, however, that by 2030 the world will have failed to meet the Goals. Although the connection between the SDGs and HRM is not so apparent, it has been argued that the two are, or perhaps should be, related: but maybe there is failure there too. This conceptual paper uses extant research to argue that the reasons for this are inherent in our understanding of HRM, in the nature of the Goals themselves, and in the relationship between HRM and the SDGs. We argue that HRM fails to advance the likelihood of the Goals being met because of construct clarity problems. Nonetheless, we argue that the SDGs have value for HRM specialists in signalling the importance of the multiple stakeholders involved and in focusing attention on crucial aspects of the role of HRM within organisations.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/114605
Identification Number/DOI	10.1177/23970022241229037
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Henley Business School > International Business and Strategy
Publisher	Sage Journals
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