Evidence of different models of socially responsible HRM in Europe

Abstract

Socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) is becoming increasingly important for academics and managers. The interface between HRM and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the subject of analysis in this article. It adopts a contextual perspective to analyze whether the institutional context influences the implementation of socially responsible HRM (SR-HRM). Considering the differences in the national institutional contexts across Europe, this study explores the different models of SR-HRM in that region. The research is focused on a sample of 153 companies headquartered in Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The findings evidence the influence exerted by the national institutional context on the implementation of SR-HRM. Differences among country clusters suggest the existence of different models of SR-HRM in Europe. However, these models do not correspond to the blocks on HRM or on CSR identified by the literature but instead provide a novel categorization.