Achieving sustainable development goals through common-good HRM: Context, approach and practice
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This introduction to the special issue Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through Common-Good HRM: Context, approach and practice draws the links between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the concept of Common-Good HRM and the practice of human resource management (HRM) to extend intellectual and empirical insights into this important field. Particular attention is accorded to the collective social and environmental dimensions of SDGs and the place of HRM in contributing to the ‘common good’ within and beyond the workplace. Firms may create space and incentives for HRM to promote sustainability, or actively work to constrain meaningful action in this regard. This collection brings together a broad cross-section of articles dealing with the SDGs and HRM, identifying emerging common ground and contestation as a basis for future HRM theory building, empirical enquiry and practice.
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A new perspective has emerged challenging the traditional focus of implementing HRM practices to achieve organizational performance and economic benefits toward the design and implementation of HRM practices aimed at addressing the 'grand challenges' of our time, including wellbeing, equality, decent work, and overall long-term sustainability.
“In response; a new perspective has emerged; challenging the traditional focus of implementing HRM practices to achieve organizational performance and economic benefits toward the design and implementation of HRM practices aimed at addressing the ' grand challenges ' of our time; including wellbeing; equality; decent work; and overall long-term sustainability (Abbass et al., 2022; Aust et al., 2024”
From Reframing people analytics value creation: Balancing organizational performance and common good HRM values (2026) · cites this paper as Aust et al., 2024
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Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries
Richardson, K., Steffen, W., Lucht, W., Bendtsen, J., Cornell, S. E., Donges, J. F., Drüke, M., Fetzer, I., Bala, G., von Bloh, W., et al. (2023) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adh2458 · Cited by 3,311 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Accepting ‘planetary boundaries’ (Richardson et al., 2023) and actively supporting the ability of natural systems to regenerate themselves are a prerequisite not only for the long-term survival and well-being of humans on planet Earth but also for doing business (Aust and Gehrke, 2024).”
BackgroundCommon Good HRM: A paradigm shift in Sustainable HRM?
Aust, I., Matthews, B., & Muller-Camen, M. (2020) · Human Resource Management Review · doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.100705 · Cited by 531 · cited 6× · see citing works
“According to Aust et al. (2020), CGHRM can today be found in companies – such as those that are in the B-Corp or the Economy of the Common Good Movement – defining their purpose as being contributions to solving the world’s largest problems (Grand Challenges), instead of generating only profit.”
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HRM institutional entrepreneurship for sustainable business organizations
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“Instead, HR departments and professionals could and perhaps even should play an active role as institutional actors in driving the sustainability agenda (Ren et al., 2023).”
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Frémeaux, S., & Michelson, G. (2017) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3118-6 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Cooke, F. L. (2025) · Human Resource Management · doi:10.1002/hrm.22318 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationMcCartney, S., Minbaeva, D., Crean, S., & Fahy, A. (2026) · Human Resource Management Review · doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2026.101147
- Authors
- Aust, I., Cooke, F. L., Muller-Camen, M., & Wood, G.
- Affiliations
- UCLouvain (BE)
- Monash University (AU)
- WU Vienna, Austria
- Western University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Aust, Ina
- Venue
- German Journal of Human Resource Management: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2024-05
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 93-110
- ISSN
- 0179-6437 (ISSN-L)
- 2397-0022
- 2397-0030
- OpenAlex
- W4396646227
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 30.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- German Journal of Human Resource Management Zeitschrift für Personalforschung (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Monash University Research Portal (Monash University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Digital Access to Libraries (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- CERES (Cranfield University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- WU Research (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Human Resource and Talent Management
- Keywords
- Sustainable Development Goals, human resource management, corporate sustainability, workplace sustainability
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