Investigation from Green Human Resource Practices to Green Innovative Performance in Pakistani Manufacturing Firms

Authors

  • Mehwish Shahid PhD Scholar, Institute of Business Management and Administrative Sciences (IBMAS), The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan/Lecturer, Government Sadiq College Women University (GSCWU), Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Rizwan Lecturer, Department of Management Sciences, Institute of Business Management and Administrative Sciences (IBMAS), The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2025.4d136

Keywords:

Green Human Resource Management Practices, Green Innovation Performance, Green Organizational Culture

Abstract

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has emerged as a key catalyst to sustainable performance, however, empirical studies of its impact on green organizational innovation, especially within the manufacture sector of developing economies, are limited. This descriptive study examines how green human resource practices, namely, green recruiting and selection (GRS), green training and development (GTD), green compensation and benefits (GCB), and green innovation performance (GIP) affect the green innovation performance of firms by looking at both the direct and indirect impacts. Besides, the research investigates green organizational culture (GOC) as a possible mediating variable that can be used to connect these practices with better environmental performance. Using questionnaire survey, the data of 384 manufacturing employees in Pakistan was gathered. The analysis was done by using Smart Partial Least Squares 4 Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and the hypotheses were tested. Results show that GOC plays a significant role in the correlation between green HR practices and green innovation performance and hence emphasizes the role of a favorable cultural environment in converting HR efforts into real environmental benefits. The findings are of significant theoretical and practical value as they bring the GHRM literature to a developing country manufacturing context, and practical relevance due to its implication of the importance of developing green culture to achieve a full potential on green HR investments.

References

Ababneh, O. M. A. (2021). How do green HRM practices affect employees’ green behaviors? The role of employee engagement and personality attributes. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(7), 1204-1226.. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1814708

Abbas, J. (2020). Impact of total quality management on corporate green performance through the mediating role of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Cleaner Production, 242, 118458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118458

Abbass, K., Song, H., Khan, F., Begum, H., & Asif, M. (2022). Fresh insight through the VAR approach to investigate the effects of fiscal policy on environmental pollution in Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(16), 23001–23014. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17438-x

Aboelmaged, M., & Hashem, G. (2019). Absorptive capacity and green innovation adoption in SMEs: The mediating effects of sustainable organisational capabilities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 220, 853–863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.150

Afum, E., Agyabeng-Mensah, Y., & Owusu, J. A. (2020). Translating environmental management practices into improved environmental performance via green organizational culture: insight from Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs. Journal of Supply Chain Management Systems, 9(1), 31–49.

Albort-Morant, G., Henseler, J., Leal-Millán, A., & Cepeda-Carrión, G. (2017). Mapping the field: A bibliometric analysis of green innovation. Sustainability, 9(6), 1011. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9061011

Albort-Morant, G., Leal-Millán, A., & Cepeda-Carrión, G. (2016). The antecedents of green innovation performance: A model of learning and capabilities. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.052

Albort-Morant, G., Leal-Rodríguez, A. L., & De Marchi, V. (2018). Absorptive capacity and relationship learning mechanisms as complementary drivers of green innovation performance. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(2), 432–452. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-07-2017-0310

Al-Swidi, A. K., Gelaidan, H. M., & Saleh, R. M. (2021). The joint impact of green human resource management, leadership and organizational culture on employees’ green behaviour and organisational environmental performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 316, 128112. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-07-2017-0310

Amit, R., & Schoemaker, P. J. H. (1993). Strategic assets and organizational rent. Strategic Management Journal, 14(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250140105

Andjarwati, T., Budiarti, E., Audah, A. K., Khouri, S., & Rębilas, R. (2019). The impact of green human resource management to gain enterprise sustainability. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 20(2), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2019.20.2.08

Anwar, N., Mahmood, N. H. N., Yusliza, M. Y., Ramayah, T., Faezah, J. N., & Khalid, W. (2020). Green Human Resource Management for organisational citizenship behaviour towards the environment and environmental performance on a university campus. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120401

Ashok, M., Narula, R., & Martinez-Noya, A. (2014). End-user collaboration for process innovation in services: The role of internal resources. https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/1250946/guid-bf058016-b552-40e4-b54d-f3974e51ef2e-ASSET1.0.pdf

Awan, F. H., Dunnan, L., Jamil, K., & Gul, R. F. (2023). Stimulating environmental performance via green human resource management, green transformational leadership, and green innovation: a mediation-moderation model. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(2), 2958–2976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22424-y

Azhar, A., & Yang, K. (2022). Examining the influence of transformational leadership and green culture on pro-environmental behaviors: Empirical evidence from Florida city governments. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 42(4), 738–759. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X211027347

Banerjee, S. B. (2002). Corporate environmentalism: The construct and its measurement. Journal of Business Research, 55(3), 177–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(00)00135-1

Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-3322(00)17018-4

Barney, J. B. (1986). Organizational culture: can it be a source of sustained competitive advantage? Academy of Management Review, 11(3), 656–665. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1986.4306261

Barney, J. B. (2001). Resource-based theories of competitive advantage: A ten-year retrospective on the resource-based view. Journal of Management, 27(6), 643–650. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630102700602

Barney, J. B., Ketchen Jr, D. J., & Wright, M. (2011). The future of resource-based theory: revitalization or decline? Journal of Management, 37(5), 1299–1315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310391805

Beise, M., & Rennings, K. (2005). Lead markets and regulation: a framework for analyzing the international diffusion of environmental innovations. Ecological Economics, 52(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.06.007

Benevene, P., & Buonomo, I. (2020). Green human resource management: An evidence-based systematic literature review. Sustainability, 12(15), 5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12155974

Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588

Bhutto, S. A., & Auranzeb, Z. (2016). Effects of green human resources management on firm performance: An empirical study on Pakistani Firms. European Journal of Business and Management, 8(16), 119–125.

Cainelli, G., De Marchi, V., & Grandinetti, R. (2015). Does the development of environmental innovation require different resources? Evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 94, 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.02.008

Carrillo-Hermosilla, J., Del Río, P., & Könnölä, T. (2010). Diversity of eco-innovations: Reflections from selected case studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18(10–11), 1073–1083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.02.014

Chang, C. L., & Lin, T.-C. (2015). The role of organizational culture in the knowledge management process. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(3), 433–455. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2014-0353

Chang, C.-H. (2011). The influence of corporate environmental ethics on competitive advantage: The mediation role of green innovation. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(3), 361–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0914-x

Chen, Y., & Chang, C. (2013). Towards green trust: The influences of green perceived quality, green perceived risk, and green satisfaction. Management Decision, 51(1), 63–82. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741311291319

Chen, Y., Chang, C., & Wu, F. (2012). Origins of green innovations: the differences between proactive and reactive green innovations. Management Decision, 50(3), 368–398. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211216197

Chen, Y., Lin, S., Lin, C., Hung, S., Chang, C., & Huang, C. (2020). Improving green product development performance from green vision and organizational culture perspectives. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(1), 222–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1794

Chen, Y.-S., Chang, C.-H., & Lin, Y.-H. (2014). The determinants of green radical and incremental innovation performance: Green shared vision, green absorptive capacity, and green organizational ambidexterity. Sustainability, 6(11), 7787–7806. https://doi.org/10.3390/su6117787

Dangelico, R. M., Pujari, D., & Pontrandolfo, P. (2017). Green product innovation in manufacturing firms: A sustainability‐oriented dynamic capability perspective. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(4), 490–506. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1932

De Giovanni, P., & Cariola, A. (2021). Process innovation through industry 4.0 technologies, lean practices and green supply chains. Research in Transportation Economics, 90, 100869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2020.100869

De Marchi, V. (2012). Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: Empirical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Research Policy, 41(3), 614–623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.10.002

De Marchi, V., & Grandinetti, R. (2013). Knowledge strategies for environmental innovations: the case of Italian manufacturing firms. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(4), 569–582. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2013-0121

Dierickx, I., & Cool, K. (1989). Asset stock accumulation and sustainability of competitive advantage. Management Science, 35(12), 1504–1511. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.12.1504

Dutot, V., Lacalle Galvez, E., & Versailles, D. W. (2016). CSR communications strategies through social media and influence on e-reputation: An exploratory study. Management Decision, 54(2), 363–389. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-01-2015-0015

Farooq, K., Yusliza, M. Y., Wahyuningtyas, R., Haque, A. ul, Muhammad, Z., & Saputra, J. (2021). Exploring challenges and solutions in performing employee ecological behaviour for a sustainable workplace. Sustainability, 13(17), 9665. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179665

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50.

Foss, N. J. (1997). Resources, firms, and strategies: a reader in the resource-based perspective. Oxford University Press.

García-Machado, J. J., & Martínez-Ávila, M. (2019). Environmental performance and green culture: The mediating effect of green innovation. An application to the automotive industry. Sustainability, 11(18), 4874. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184874

Gefen, D., Straub, D., & Boudreau, M.-C. (2000). Structural equation modeling and regression: Guidelines for research practice. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 4(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.00407

Guerci, M., & Carollo, L. (2016). A paradox view on green human resource management: Insights from the Italian context. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(2), 212–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1033641

Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., Gudergan, S. P., Fischer, A., Nitzl, C., & Menictas, C. (2019). Partial least squares structural equation modeling-based discrete choice modeling: an illustration in modeling retailer choice. Business Research, 12(1), 115–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-018-0072-4

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Hameed, Z., Khan, I. U., Islam, T., Sheikh, Z., & Naeem, R. M. (2020). Do green HRM practices influence employees’ environmental performance? International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 1061–1079. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2019-0407

Harris, L. C., & Crane, A. (2002). The greening of organizational culture:Management views on the depth, degree and diffusion of change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15(3), 214–234. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810210429273/FULL/PDF

Harris, S., Martin, M., & Diener, D. (2021). Circularity for circularity’s sake? Scoping review of assessment methods for environmental performance in the circular economy. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 26, 172–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2020.09.018

Hofer, C. W., & Schendel, D. (1978). Strategy formulation: Analytical concepts. (No Title).

Kannan, V. R., & Tan, K. C. (2005). Just in time, total quality management, and supply chain management: understanding their linkages and impact on business performance. Omega, 33(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2004.03.012

Klassen, R. D., & Whybark, D. C. (1999). Environmental management in operations: the selection of environmental technologies. Decision Sciences, 30(3), 601–631. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.1999.tb00900.x

Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford publications.

Kraaijenbrink, J., Spender, J.-C., & Groen, A. J. (2010). The resource-based view: A review and assessment of its critiques. Journal of Management, 36(1), 349–372. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309350775

Lartey, T. A., Amankwah-Amoah, J., Danso, A., Adomako, S., Khan, Z., & Tarba, S. Y. (2021). Environmental sustainability practices and offshoring activities of multinational corporations across emerging and developed markets. International Business Review, 30(5), 101789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101789

Lee, E.-M., & Yoon, S.-J. (2018). The effect of customer citizenship in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on purchase intention: The important role of the CSR image. Social Responsibility Journal, 14(4), 753–763. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-04-2017-0074

Lockett, A., Thompson, S., & Morgenstern, U. (2009). The development of the resource‐based view of the firm: A critical appraisal. International Journal of Management Reviews, 11(1), 9–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2008.00252.x

Makadok, R. (2001). Toward a synthesis of the resource‐based and dynamic‐capability views of rent creation. Strategic Management Journal, 22(5), 387–401. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.158

Masri, H. A., & Jaaron, A. A. M. (2017). Assessing green human resources management practices in Palestinian manufacturing context: An empirical study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 474–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.087

Mathiyazhagan, K., Agarwal, V., Appolloni, A., Saikouk, T., & Gnanavelbabu, A. (2021). Integrating lean and agile practices for achieving global sustainability goals in Indian manufacturing industries. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 171, 120982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120982

Mohammed, A., & Al-Swidi, A. (2019). The influence of CSR on perceived value, social media and loyalty in the hotel industry. Spanish Journal of Marketing-ESIC, 23(3), 373–396. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-06-2019-0029

Molina-Azorín, J. F., Claver-Cortés, E., Pereira-Moliner, J., & Tarí, J. J. (2009). Environmental practices and firm performance: an empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17(5), 516–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.09.001

Muisyo, P. K., & Qin, S. (2021). Enhancing the FIRM’S green performance through green HRM: The moderating role of green innovation culture. Journal of Cleaner Production, 289, 125720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125720

Navarro-García, A., Rey-Moreno, M., & Barrera-Barrera, R. (2017). Commitment, resources, export enterprise and business results.

Nelson, R. R. (1991). Why do firms differ, and how does it matter? Strategic Management Journal, 12(S2), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250121006

Newbert, S. L. (2007). Empirical research on the resource‐based view of the firm: an assessment and suggestions for future research. Strategic Management Journal, 28(2), 121–146. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.573

Norton, T. A., Zacher, H., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2015). Pro-environmental organizational culture and climate. The Psychology of Green Organizations, 322–348. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199997480.003.0014

Penrose, E. T. (2009). The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. Oxford university press.

Peteraf, M. A. (1993). The cornerstones of competitive advantage: a resource‐based view. Strategic Management Journal, 14(3), 179–191. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250140303

Pham, N. T., Tučková, Z., & Jabbour, C. J. C. (2019). Greening the hospitality industry: How do green human resource management practices influence organizational citizenship behavior in hotels? A mixed-methods study. Tourism Management, 72, 386–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.12.008

Pla-Barber, J. (2001). The internalisation of foreign distribution and production activities: New empirical evidence from Spain. International Business Review, 10(4), 455–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-5931(01)00026-9

Porter, M. E. (2008). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance. simon and schuster.

Ravasi, D., & Schultz, M. (2006). Responding to organizational identity threats: Exploring the role of organizational culture. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), 433–458. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2006.21794663

Rizwan, M., Yaseen, G., Nawaz, A., & Hussain, L. (2014). Incorporating attitude towards Islamic banking in an integrated service quality, satisfaction, trust and loyalty model. International Journal of Accounting and Financial Reporting, 4(2), 456–477.

Rodríguez, J. L., & Rodríguez, R. M. G. (2005). Technology and export behaviour: A resource-based view approach. International Business Review, 14(5), 539–557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2005.07.002

Rönkkö, M., & Evermann, J. (2013). A critical examination of common beliefs about partial least squares path modeling. Organizational Research Methods, 16(3), 425–448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428112474693

Roscoe, S., Subramanian, N., Jabbour, C. J. C., & Chong, T. (2019). Green human resource management and the enablers of green organisational culture: Enhancing a firm’s environmental performance for sustainable development. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(5), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2277

Rubel, M. R. B., Kee, D. M. H., & Rimi, N. N. (2021). The influence of green HRM practices on green service behaviors: the mediating effect of green knowledge sharing. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 43(5), 996–1015. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-04-2020-0163

Rubin, P. H. (1973). The expansion of firms. Journal of Political Economy, 81(4), 936–949. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/260089

Rumelt, R. P. (1984). Towards a strategic theory of the firm. Competitive Strategic Management, 26(3), 556–570.

Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Moisescu, O. I., & Radomir, L. (2020). Structural model robustness checks in PLS-SEM. Tourism Economics, 26(4), 531–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354816618823921

Selznick, P. (1997). Leadership in administration: a sociological interpretation. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles.

Seroka‐Stolka, O., & Fijorek, K. (2020). Enhancing corporate sustainable development: Proactive environmental strategy, stakeholder pressure and the moderating effect of firm size. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(6), 2338–2354. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2506

Singh, S. K., Del Giudice, M., Chierici, R., & Graziano, D. (2020). Green innovation and environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and green human resource management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 150, 119762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762

Singh, S. K., Giudice, M. Del, Chierici, R., & Graziano, D. (2020). Green innovation and environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and green human resource management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 150(May 2019), 119762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762

Sodhi, M. S. (2015). Conceptualizing social responsibility in operations via stakeholder resource‐based view. Production and Operations Management, 24(9), 1375–1389. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12393

Song, W., Wang, G., & Ma, X. (2020). Environmental innovation practices and green product innovation performance: A perspective from organizational climate. Sustainable Development, 28(1), 224–234. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1990

Stead, J. G., & Stead, W. E. (2015). Management for a small planet. Routledge.

Stinchcombe, A. L. (1965). Organizations and social structure. Handbook of Organizations, 44, 142.

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AID-SMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z

Trujillo-Gallego, M., Sarache, W., & Sellitto, M. A. (2021). Identification of practices that facilitate manufacturing companies’ environmental collaboration and their influence on sustainable production. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1372–1391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.03.009

Werts, C. E., Linn, R. L., & Jöreskog, K. G. (1974). Intraclass reliability estimates: Testing structural assumptions. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 34(1), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447403400104

Wu, H., Li, Y., Hao, Y., Ren, S., & Zhang, P. (2020). Environmental decentralization, local government competition, and regional green development: Evidence from China. Science of the Total Environment, 708, 135085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135085

Zupic, I., & Drnovsek, M. (2014). Firm growth: Research front and intellectual structure. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1, 12367.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-12

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Shahid, M., & Rizwan, M. (2025). Investigation from Green Human Resource Practices to Green Innovative Performance in Pakistani Manufacturing Firms. Journal of Regional Studies Review, 4(4), 32-50. https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2025.4d136

Similar Articles

11-20 of 67

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.