The Roles of HRM in CSR: Strategic Partnership or Operational Support?

CITATION

Sarvaiya, H., Eweje, G., & Arrowsmith, J. (2018). The Roles of HRM in CSR: Strategic Partnership or Operational Support? Journal of Business Ethics, 153(3), 825–837.

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ABSTRACT
As the implementation of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) strategy requires promoting employee
participation and initiating meaningful changes in organisational
culture, the involvement of the human resource
management (HRM) function in policy formulation and
implementation is highly desirable. The relationship
between the HRM and CSR functions is, however, underinvestigated
than other areas. Hence, there is a lack of
clarity concerning HRM roles and the conditions under
which they may be strategic or operational in nature. By
drawing on data from interviews with 29 CSR and HRM
professionals of large organisations in New Zealand, this
paper argues that the role and contribution of the HR
function in CSR is contingent on organisational variables
such as the CSR structure, the scope and application of
CSR and the nature of the HR functions. It concludes that
in such contexts HRM is more likely to offer operational
support in executing CSR rather than strategic input.


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