A Human Dignity Perspective on Sustainable Human Resource Management: From Utilitarian to Dignified Approaches

This conceptual theory-building paper discusses how a dignity lens may conceptualize Sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM) to protect workers and other stakeholders within and beyond the organization. Sustainable HRM has become a popular topic and approach in the recent literature but has not yet been fully developed both ontologically and theoretically. We postulate how a particular focus on instrumentality and individualism has become the dominant way of theorizing HRM and is still impacting the dominant way of theorizing Sustainable HRM. We then conceptualize an alternative paradigm on the basis of human dignity, which offers an ontological lens on how workplaces and HRM could be designed. The paper discusses the implications of a dignity paradigm for HRM theory, research and practice by proposing a more pluralistic approach towards research in the field. We explore in depth the ways a dignity paradigm shapes the Sustainable HRM agenda and discuss how such a paradigm informs specific HR practices. The paper presents a research agenda focused on the new dignity paradigm within Sustainable HRM scholarship.