Combating Fake News and Digital Deception at the Workplace: An Integrative Review and Open Systems Theory-led Framework for Future Research

Abstract

Research on fake news and related acts of deception in the domain of human resource management is growing but still in its infancy. This escalating crisis necessitates immediate attention, as fake news evolves into an all-pervasive phenomenon that surpasses domain boundaries and affects organizations at scale. This study analyzes the growing corpus of research on fake news and concomitant acts of deceit in the domain of human resource management through an integrative review of 64 scholarly papers published in peer-reviewed journals over the last 30 years. We identify key themes and draw attention to gaps that merit scrutiny. We then propose an open systems theory-led conceptual framework that elucidates the relationships between fake news, related acts of deceit and its effects on various facets of human resource management practice and serves as a guide to advance contributions in the field. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.