Green Human Resource Management and Employee Green Behaviour in Higher Education: A Structured Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Abstract

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has emerged as an important approach for integrating environmental sustainability into organizational human resource practices. While the literature has established relationships between GHRM and employee environmental outcomes, research remains comparatively fragmented regarding how green HR practices translate into Employee Green Behaviour (EGB), particularly within higher education institutions. This paper presents a structured literature review of research on GHRM, Employee Green Behaviour, behavioural mechanisms, organizational culture and sustainability in higher education. The review synthesizes the literature around four major dimensions: the evolution and conceptualization of GHRM, the role of individual green behaviour, psychological mechanisms underlying green action, and the contextual influence of organizational culture. The review indicates that green recruitment, green training, green performance management, green rewards and employee involvement constitute the principal dimensions of GHRM. The literature further suggests that GHRM can influence employee green behaviour by developing environmental knowledge and skills, strengthening motivation and creating opportunities for participation. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity framework, the paper proposes that employee green behaviour is produced through the interaction of organizational practices and individual psychological processes. Evidence also indicates that green organizational or psychological climate can strengthen the translation of behavioural intentions into actual green behaviour. Higher education remains a comparatively underexplored setting despite the distinctive role of faculty members as both employees and educators. Based on the synthesis, the paper identifies sectoral, geographical, theoretical and methodological gaps and proposes a future research framework for examining GHRM and sustainability behaviour in higher education