Examining the nexus between human resource leadership and corporate sustainability: views of human resource professionals in Ghanaian SMEs

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the nexus between human resource leadership (HRL) and corporate sustainability (CS) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. Though HRL and CS are interrelated, the growing strategic concern is recognising senior human resource professionals as leaders capable of corporate change towards more sustainable organisations. This paper utilised exploratory qualitative research techniques by interviewing 15 senior human resource managers working in SMEs in Ghana. The data were analysed using the grounded theory method. The findings suggest that some of the HRL practices are being utilised more than the others, with some activities critical to CS design and implementation. Some of the CS practices supported by HR leaders are traditional and basic. Certain organisational factors were discovered as critical to the effective design and implementation of sustainability practices. Some practical, theoretical, and research implications for understanding and embedding sustainability within organisations were discussed.