Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to explore how Human Resource Management practice can promote environmental sustainability in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Karachi, Pakistan and also investigates the role of organizational culture in supporting eco-friendly behaviors among employees.

Design: A mixed-methods approach was adopted with HR professionals and faculty members from various HEIs in Karachi.

Findings: The study found a positive relationship between HRM practices and the implementation of sustainability initiatives within HEIs and significantly influence eco-friendly behaviors environmental outcomes and a strong organizational culture mediates the effectiveness of HRM practices in achieving sustainability goals.

Practical Implications: The findings offer practical recommendations for HEIs in resource-constrained environments, suggesting that even low-cost or incremental HRM interventions can positively impact sustainability.

Originality: Contributes to the literature by examining the intersection of HRM and sustainability of HEIs in a developing region. It provides insights into the unique challenges faced by HEIs in Karachi.

Key Words

HRM Practices, Environmental Sustainability, Organizational Culture, HEIs, Green HRM

Introduction

Environmental sustainability has received lots of attention throughout the world as countries struggle to fight challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. Its use has become essential depending on the success of HEIs and other organizations in adopting sustainable practices and achieving sustainable development goals. HEIs play their part in a sustainable future with regard to the principles of sustainability in operation, curricula, and research (Hamid et al., 2024). They cause tremendous impacts on the environment through their demand for natural resources such as energy, water, and materials, and their activities produce bulky wastes and greenhouse gases. HEIs shape the future generation of professionals, policymakers, and leaders because they are institutions of higher learning. Hence, it becomes a challenge as well as a challenge for these institutions to bring their operations and educational process to ensure sustainable goals (Gillani et al., 2024).

The area of HEIs demonstrates that specific practices of human resource management (HRM) can have a major impact on sustainability goals. The role of HRM, which has evolved from the traditional activity of recruitment, training, and performance management, is to introduce sustainability into these activities. Green HRM, as the element of the concept, has been developed to ensure the global adoption of green practices within firms; this concept stresses the need for integration of the concept of HRM with environmental strategies. Research findings identify the effectiveness of incorporating sustainability in strategic human resource management processes such as staffing, training, and employee communication as a method of improving the environmental performance of an institution.

This research focuses on establishing the factors that contribute to the implementation of environmentally sustainable HRM practices in the HEIs in Karachi, Pakistan. As such, this research aims to identify interactions between HRM, cultures, and sustainable work environments to present HEIs with a framework for adapting their HRM practices to sustainability objectives. The work extends from previous research that shows how HRM contributes to sustainability culture within organizations (Saeed et al., 2024). The research has implications for sustainability in general and sustainability in higher education in particular. Most of the HEIs globally have incorporated sustainable practices in their activities, such as conducting green building projects, implementing renewable energy projects, and developing curricula oriented towards sustainable practices. For instance, the University of Melbourne has very effective Sustainability Action Plans covering energy, water, waste, and procurement practices (Ahmed et al., 2024).

These undertakings not only minimize the footprints of HEIs but also act as reference points that influence the students and the general community in their onward sustainable endeavors (Khan et al., 2024). In line with this, the present research seeks to inform the modest literature on sustainability in HEIs by evaluating the part played by HRM practices toward enhancing sustainable behavior. In HEIs, if HRM is integrated with sustainability objectives, the organization’s work environment can be made sustainable and help support greater environmental initiatives. This paper aims to identify the limitations and possibilities existing in the implementation of sustainable HRM practices in the framework of organizations based in Karachi, Pakistan, where the level of environmental consciousness and institutionalization of sustainable practices might be higher or lower compared to developed countries (Rizvi et al., 2024).

Literature Review

Several scholars have paid a lot of attention to the idea of sustainability in human resource management (HRM) in the last decade. According to Ehnert (2009), authors posit that sustainable HRM practices enhance environmentally responsible employee behaviors and organizational performance. HRM enablers like recruitment, training, performance management, and engagement are critical in the development of the organizational culture and the extent of integration of sustainable practices (Renwick et al., 2016).




HRM and Sustainability

The literature on the relationship between sustainability and HRM is in the earlier stage of development and more precisely has conceptualized the area mainly as how HRM can facilitate sustainability within organizations. The RBV put forward contends that the competitive advantage of an organization is hinged upon resources such as human capital and not organizational capital (Hartog et al., 2008). Sustainable HRM strategies like green recruitment and training add value to an organization’s human capital through the encouragement of environment-friendly conduct and employees’ conscientiousness towards supporting sustainability (Taylor et al., 2012). A self-organizing work system according to the High-Performance Work System (HPWS) theory, posits that the package of HRM activities dealing with commitment and capability can increase performance (Aziz et al., 2024). This paper found that when sustainability is adopted within HPWS, performance is enhanced while the environment and society are made sustainable (Opoku-Dakwa et al., 2018). For instance, those companies that participate in the use of eco-training and flow incentives to green acts determine a structure that empowers sustainability, enhancing the execution of environmental obligations (Rothenberg et al., 2017).







Organizational Culture and Sustainability

Sustainability is most effective when employees within an organization appreciate the culture of the organization. Schein identifies culture as a number of agreed-upon values and assumptions that define behaviors in an organization. Organizational culture supporting principles of environmental sustainability may encourage workers to modify behavior for change in the corporate setting as well as in the personal setting (Schein, 2010). HEI, the attitude towards sustainability should be developed to increase environmentally friendly actions among university employees (Renwick et al., 2013).

According to the CVF, culture or the way of working must support the strategic vision in order to meet the company’s sustainable goals (Aziz et al., 2024). It is for this reason that those institutions of higher learning that have embraced sustainable development need to embrace sustainable development as their core values and mission statements since they set the tone on how the environment is to be dealt with. For instance, a culture that embraces sustainability will enhance the implementation of ideas such as green performance management systems, which supplement the HRM practices to enhance sustainability (Bano et al., 2024).




Green HRM Practices

Green HRM refers to various particular HR activities that are aimed at encouraging the green behavior of the firm. Green recruitment refers to the process of sourcing and selecting individuals for employment who are environmentally sensitive professionals who have indicated a personal stake in a corporate green culture (Renwick et al., 2013). Environmental socialization interventions teach employees about green initiatives and prepare them with the knowledge needed for practicing environmentalism in the workplace (Khan et al., 2024). Components of green performance management are setting environmental objectives into performance appraisal with the aim of instigating organizational sustainability initiatives in organizational processes (Butt et al., 2024). A literature review established that green HRM practices have been linked with enhanced environmental outcomes such as energy saving, waste minimization, and efficient utilization of resources (Rothenberg et al., 2017). Moreover, it suggested that green HRM practices can boost the level of employee engagement as they get the perception of the organization's sustainability-driven mission (Ehnert, 2009). These practices are not only effective in the sustainability improvement of organizations but also enhance a favorable organizational culture that embraces sustainability (Bano et al., 2024).




HRM Practices in HEIs

Since HEIs are responsible for a vast amount of knowledge production and dissemination, they must act proactively as leaders in the quest for sustainability, both by example and by education. When HEIs incorporate sustainability as part of the HRM practices, they will be able to reduce their environmental impact and improve sustainability, and since students are the targets of the HRM messages, they will mimic the behaviors they witness from the HEIs and the community at large. Green HRM practices have found their way into HEIs as they incorporate sustainable management systems to decrease their environmental effects. For example, sustainable recruitment strategies that ensure that HEIs employ persons with understanding and zeal towards environmental conservation have been put into practice by some of them (Ahmed et al., 2024). Some have implemented green training programs that aim to train people in the organization on issues to do with energy conservation, waste management, and utilization of renewable sources of energy (Mustafa et al., 2024). A system of performance management in the HEIs is being modified to reflect environmental goals that encourage evaluation of staff in terms of their impact towards achieving these goals (Hamid et al., 2024). The studies show that HEIs located in developed nations have gained considerable ground in the implementation of green HRM practices. However, in institutions located in the developing regions of the globe like Pakistan, there are certain Constraints in adopting such practices and standards in these institutions mainly because of; Insufficient resources and capacity in developing regions (Khan et al., 2024). To address these challenges, this research aims to investigate the possibility of sustainable HRM in the context of selected HEIs in Karachi, Pakistan, and to explore possible ways of ISM-styled change towards creating commitment to environmental protection among the HEIs staff.




Theoretical Framework

This study adopts RBV theory and HPWS theory to establish the relationship between HRM practices and sustainability. The RBV framework theorizes that the human resources of an organization are a valuable source of competitive edge if coordinated with organizational strategic objectives such as environmental sustainability (Aziz et al., 2024). On the other hand, the HPWS theory deals with the integrated HRM systems in increasing employee engagement and enhancing high performance to support sustainability (Rothenberg et al., 2017).

Figure 1

Theoretical Framework



Hypothesis

Hypothesis 1 (H1): Green recruitment and selection practices positively influence the adoption of sustainability initiatives within HEIs.

Hypothesis 2 (H2): Green training and development programs enhance employees’ eco-friendly behaviors and engagement in sustainability initiatives.

Hypothesis 3 (H3): Green performance management systems improve the environmental performance of HEIs by linking sustainability goals with employee evaluations.

Hypothesis 4 (H4): Organizational culture mediates the relationship between Green HRM practices and sustainability outcomes.

Methodology

In this context, the purpose of this research will be to identify the role of HRM practices in driving environmental sustainability in HEIs in Karachi, Pakistan. In an attempt to capture the complexity of the research questions, the research adopts both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools in data collection and analysis.




Research Design

Exploratory research is at the core of the research

design, though a level of description is included. The cross-sectional survey design was used to define current practices in HRM and sustainability in Karachi-based HEIs. On the other hand, an observational and a qualitative survey approach was employed to find out how these practices can be integrated into the achievement of environmental sustainability. As such, this two-fold design offers both conceptually specific structural orientation and the opportunity to ad hoc search for new insights.




Data Collection

The questionnaire was distributed to HC researchers and faculty at various HEIs in Karachi to collect quantitative data on the practices of HRM and sustainability at these universities. The survey included structured questions related to the following areas: Organizing for sustainable human resource management includes the following: strategy of recruitment and selection, approach to training and development, approaches to performance management, and involvement of employees in sustainability processes. In all, two hundred survey responses were received, offering adequate information in the subsequent analysis. Participants were chosen purposefully to include those with concrete involvement in HR and sustainability functions in their organizations (Renwick et al., 2016). To support the survey data, some qualitative data were obtained from interviews conducted with the HR managers and senior faculty members of the selected HEIs. The interview questions focused on: the place of organizational culture in encouraging environmentally friendly conduct, The difficulties and possibilities of integrating sustainability into HRM practices, and The suitability of presently implemented sustainability strategies in HEIs. Tables 1 and 2 show that 15 interviewees participated in the study, and each respondent spent between 30 and 60 minutes responding to questions. These interviews allowed an understanding of the institutional conflicts and strategic initiatives regarding HRM and sustainability further (Bano et al., 2024).

Data Analysis

Survey quantitative data was analyzed and tabulated using the statistical analysis package (Smart PLS) to do descriptive analysis and regression. Frequency analysis was employed to present scores on the standardized questionnaire measuring various HRM sustainability practices, while multiple regression analysis was applied to establish the correlation between different predictors of HRM practices and the environmental measures adopted by the HEIs. Namely, regression models were used to analyze the impact of recruitment, training, and performance management for the dimensions of sustainability performance (Khan et al., 2024). The data collected through qualitative interviews were analyzed by adopting thematic analysis. Using the interview transcripts, patterns of organizational culture, general and specific HRM practices, and sustainability initiatives were searched for. Topics covered include the leadership of sustainability in organizations, the reaffirmation of human resource management values, and barriers to green HRM in the LMIC region (Hamid et al., 2024).

Hypothesis 1 (H1): The study therefore finds that initiatives that enhance sustainable recruitment and selection practices are good for the implementation of sustainability in HEIs.

In order to provide an empirical answer to this hypothesis, a regression analysis was carried out on the following variables: green recruitment practices being the independent variable and the extent of sustainability initiatives being the dependent variable. The findings provided evidence of a positive correlation (r = 0.58, n = 165, p < 0.01) to support the hypothesis that green recruitment practices positively affect organizational adoption of sustainability initiatives. This is in line with other studies that suggested that green recruitment practices help result in attracting environmentally friendly individuals with keen practice of environmentally sustainable activities (Renwick et al., 2013).

Hypothesis 2 (H2): Organizational green training and development facilitate changes in employees' behavior towards being environmentally sustainable and caring for sustainability in an organization.

To support this hypothesis, a correlation analysis was performed between green training programs enacted at the sites and the frequency of environmentally friendly practices reported among staff. A significant positive relationship (mean correlation coefficient of 0.65; p > 001 level) shows that employees who attended sustainability training practice energy conservation and recycling, use public transport, save water, use environmentally friendly products, and reduction in the use of gas-gulping vehicles. This provides evidence for the notion that training guarantees the development of the requisite knowledge and skills of employees in support of the sustainability objectives (Khan et al., 2024).

Hypothesis 3 (H3): Environmental management systems that are green enhance the environmental management of HEIs as they extend the sustainable goals to include the employee’s performance.

A regression analysis was performed in order to assess the effect of green performance management on environmental improvements, including energy usage decreases and waste control. This meant that institutions that integrate the sustainability targets’ assessments in the employee’s assessment report enhanced environmental performance with ? = 0.47, p < 0.05. These results suggest that employee accountability should be an organizational development priority insofar as sustainability is concerned (Aziz et al., 2024). Hypothesis 4 (H4): With regard to the hypotheses of this study, the results indicate that the organizational culture factor mitigates green HRM practices and sustainability performance.

Based on this, a mediation analysis was conducted to ascertain whether organizational culture moderates the relationship between Sustainable HRM and sustainability outcomes. There was a significant interaction term (? = 0.42, p < 0.05), meaning that when organizations have a strong culture of sustainability, then the benefits of green HRM practices on environmental results will be even higher. This suggests that green HRM practices are most successful where the culture is receptive to sustainable growth (Hamid et al., 2024).







Qualitative Analysis

The thematic analysis method was used to analyze data that was collected through the semi-structured interviews that were conducted with the 10 participants. Some of the key themes that were discovered were. Some of the interviewees emphasized that success in directing change at organizational and individual levels depends on the leaders. Teachers’ pro-environmental attributes, such as sustainability in the leadership of organizations, influenced environmentally responsible employees’ behaviors. Challenges of resource constraints: Consequently, green HRM implementation in HEIs in Karachi is prohibited by restrictions on resources and infrastructure. Some of the learners argued that sustainability endeavors incur high initial costs, which are hairy news to institutions with lean pockets. Importance of organizational culture Exploding an issue, sustainability needs to be integrated into the organizational cultures necessary to drive it. People in the study underlined the fact that sustainability has to be a strategic value of the company so the employees feel more responsible for green projects.

Chief of HR as a Change Agent for Green HRM

It was found in the study that leadership has a significant effect on sustainability in HEIs. Organizations, where sustainability is supported by the leaders, are more able to practice and maintain green HRM practices. This is consistent with earlier research that found that commitment by leadership to environmental objectives has a strong impact on the outcomes of sustainability programs (Jabbour, 2015). This finding means that for HEIs in Karachi, the leadership development programs ought to include sustainability leadership. The framework shows that people at all different ranks and positions, starting with the head and extending to the department level, need to be prepared to advance and practice sustainable initiatives. Political leaders especially institution leaders should be encouraged to play an active role in sustainability measures in the whole institution.







Resource Constraints and Organization

Innovation Now the findings show policy green HRM practices as effective; the problems arising from the study call for more attention to the fact that due to scarcity of resources, green HRM practices remain almost impossible to implement in an environment like Karachi. Nevertheless, the study revealed that the positive effect could be realized from trivial changes like implementing green training that is not formal or integrating sustainability measures into partial performance appraisal. This means that HEIs in low-resource environments should consider undertaking steps that can lay a foundation for achieving big sustainability goals by initially taking small, cheap measures. Organizations should focus on the areas that provide the maximum possible results with the resources available, like a green approach to recruitment or the occurrence of limited-scale training in sustainability. This information suggests that policymakers should address the HEIs’ sustainability concerns by investing in both financial and administrative assistance for undertaking vitality schemes, especially in developing countries.

The Role of Sustainability as a Portable Policy and Strategy Changer

The study underlines the fact that sustainability should be a strategic, not an organizational, issue. Sustainability, as a concept, is well regarded in HEIs but often subordinated to various academic and operational concerns. Thus, institutional leaders and policymakers need to strengthen and advance sustainability from the currently low prioritized importance level. This can be done through a review of the institution's mission statement, the adoption of sustainable policies, and strategic development plans. For HEIs in Karachi, it means the paradigm change where sustainability is integrated into the institutional culture in advance to guarantee that any attempts at the adoption of green HRM practices will receive maximal support. The following Implications of the Findings section explains suggested and potential reverberations for HEIs with reference to the study’s conclusions.

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