Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Green and Digital Human Resource Management in Advancing the <scp>UN</scp> Sustainable Development Goals ( <scp>SDGs</scp> ): A <scp>SPAR</scp> ‐4‐ <scp>SLR</scp> and Bibliometric Analysis of Emerging Research Tr
ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to study the changing intellectual structure and research trends of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), Digital Human Resource Management (DHRM) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of an integrated sustainable HRM framework. By means of SPAR‐4‐SLR protocol, TCCM framework and bibliometric techniques through Biblioshiny and VOSviewer, the study systematically examines 436 peer‐reviewed articles sourced from Scopus and Web of Science over the period 2016–2025. As the key finding after 2022 the scholarship expands rapidly, thus establishing the strategic relevance of green and digital HR practices in promoting sustainable transformation. The papers largely centre on SDG 8, SDG 12 and SDG 13. Further, in the recent literature, digital innovation is increasingly linking together new and innovative solutions that add value to the social dimensions of health, education, gender equality, clean energy, and reduced inequalities. The review also highlights that the field's focus on AMO, RBV, and institutional theories implies serious theoretical, geographical and methodological limitations, as the theories only operate within a handful of economies using the same cross‐sectional self‐report research design. To fill these gaps, the present study proposes the use of the Stimulus‐Organism‐Response framework as a micro‐foundational lens for explaining employee behavioral responses for sustainable HR interventions By viewing GHRM, DHRM and SDGs holistically, the study provides an evidence‐based guide for building environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and digitally‐enabled HR systems aligned with the 2030 Agenda.
Authors
- Pooja Kumari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4313-985X)
- Sushil Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0968-3480)
Institutions
- National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sustainable Development
- Published
- 2026-07-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.71476
- Primary Topic
- Environmental Sustainability in Business
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00