Challenges in Green Human Resource Management: A Fuzzy DEMATEL Study

ABSTRACT Despite the emerging plethora of research on sustainable development goals, Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) and performance, limited empirical research has been conducted to analyze and prioritize the critical factors that challenge the implementation of GHRM practices. While previous studies examined inter‐relationships, their assessments of which influential scores help organizations’ management to prioritize the critical GHRM practices that can effectively and sustainably improve individual and organizational performance have received scarce attention. Moreover, while previous GHRM studies applied data analysis techniques, such as PLS‐SEM, factor analysis, thematic analysis, and descriptive statistics. However, the application of the fuzzy DEMATEL method on which key GHRM practices help us understand how intense their relational capabilities are and their impact on the strategic organizational sustainability of the garment industry in an emerging country context is yet to be conducted. To address these thematic and methodological gaps and extend GHRM literature and research, this paper is positioned within influential debates on Stakeholder Theory, innovatively applies the Decision‐Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method, identifies and assesses five stakeholder groups whose activities and behaviors critically challenged the implementation of GHRM practices implementation in the garment industry. We propose seven most critical challenges, including lack of pressure from the government, absence of effective enforcement of environmental law, lack of awareness on positive outcomes of GHRM, lack of pressure from the buyer, lack of top management support, absence of an environmental audit, and lack of comprehensive environmental plan, thereby contributing and deepening extensions on the significant barriers to GHRM.