Contributions of HRM throughout the stages of environmental management: methodological triangulation applied to companies in Brazil

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the contribution of human resources management throughout the evolutionary stages of environmental management in Brazilian companies. A theoretical framework concerning environmental management and its evolution and the ‘greening’ of the functional and competitive dimensions of human resource management were developed. A methodological triangulation was developed in two complimentary phases. In the first phase, data were collected from 94 Brazilian companies with ISO 14001 certification. The data collected were analyzed and processed using statistical techniques. The conclusions of the first phase supported the second phase of this empirical research. The second phase consisted of a study of multiple cases in four Brazilian companies. The results show evidence of the first known empirical study of contributions of human resource dimensions throughout the stages of environmental management in Brazilian manufacturing companies

Green human resource management: a comparative qualitative case study of a United States multinational corporation

“…Literature confirms the importance of the positioning of the 'greening' function as a key factor in improving the environmental performance of organizations (Ambec & Lanoie, 2008). Similar to Jabbour et al (2010) empirical study on manufacturing companies located in Brazil, this case study also identifies variations in the degree to which HRM activities are aligned with environmental management, as there is inconsistency in the alignment and positioning of the environmental and HR functions. The key driver here appears to be the local cultural approaches such as value-based, strategic or even a defensive route (Cohen et al, 2012) determined by the business conditions and experiences within each subsidiary.…”

“…Nevertheless, there is little agreement on the most appropriate functional area for positioning sustainability initiatives (Schroeder, 2012). Jabbour et al (2010) empirical study of Brazilian companies established that firms varied greatly in the degree to which HRM activities were aligned with environmental management. They observed that even if firms were publically committed to environmental sustainability, some HRM practices such as job analysis, selection, performance management, training and reward appeared to be unaffected by environmental management efforts.…”

“…Research in the field of Green HRM is inter-disciplinary, drawing from organizational themes within strategic management (Aragón-Correa & Rubio-López, 2007;Boiral, 2009, Jabbour et al, 2010Schroeder, 2012), organizational performance and performance management (Clemens, 2006;Jabbour et al, 2015;Länsiluoto & Jarvenpää, 2010;Marcus & Fremeth, 2009;Ambec & Lanoie, 2008), organizational culture, employee engagement, staff development and training (Govindarajulu & Daily, 2004;Jabbour 2013b;Rothenberg, 2003;Vaccaro & Echeverri, 2010). The following literature review focuses on the two prominent areas in the Green HRM debate as identified earlier in this study: the positioning and alignment of the environment and HR function including the integration with organizational performance and Green employee engagement.…”

“…It offers insight into the rationale and stakeholder perceptions of the positioning and alignment of the environment and HR function across these three European subsidiaries. By comparison, recent research focuses on organizations in the same national context (Chen & Chang, 2013;Hofer, Cantor, & Dai, 2012;Jabbour, Santos, & Nagano, 2010, 2012Jabbour, 2013b;Paillé, Chen, Boiral, & Jin, 2014;Tatoglu, Bayraktar, Sahadev, Demirbag, & Glaister, 2014;Teixeira, Jabbour, & Jabbour, 2012), but do not explicitly examine international differences, whereas this study specifically highlights international management practices with a particular focus on Green HRM.…”

Translating stakeholder pressures into environmental performance – the mediating role of green HRM practices

“…Firms with the aim to achieve higher environmental performance are expected to hire employees with higher environmental competencies and sensitivity. For example, Jabbour, Santos, & Nagano (2010) demonstrated that companies with an environmental certification are more likely to hire applicants that demonstrate environmental knowledge and motivation. Accordingly, we argue that employees who possess specific environmental competences related to the firm's core business and are sensitive to environmental issues are able to improve the firm environmental performance.…”