Deciphering the implementation of green human resource management in an emerging economy

Purpose Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the purpose of this paper is mainly to show how electronic human resource management (HRM), green employee empowerment, and human resource (HR) business partner role may influence green HRM practices. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework was proposed to test the direct effect of the three independent variables – and key HR factors – on green HRM. Self-administered questionnaire was adopted in a systematic collection of data from manufacturing and service organizations in Malaysia. The partial least squares method was used to test the conceptual framework of the study. Findings The empirical results demonstrate that green employee empowerment has a significant positive relationship with all dimensions of green HRM practices; the added value of HR business partner role is an important aspect in ensuring the successful implementation of green HRM practices; and surprisingly, electronic HRM was not significantly related with all dimensions of green HRM practices. Originality/value As revealed by searches of ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus, there is no similar work which tested a similar framework based on evidence from an emerging economy. Based on RBV, it is possible to suggest that green employee empowerment and the role of HR as a Business Partner constitute unique resources when adopting green HRM practices.