The International Journal of Human Resource Management

Grand Societal Challenges and Disruptions: Future Proofing HRM

Introduction

The world has witnessed tumultuous change in the last decade. The increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment within which HRM operates (Ahlstrom et al., 2020; Bavik et al., 2021) has given rise to a new wave of ‘grand societal challenges’ (Baumann et al., 2024, p. 165), which necessitate new HRM responses to deal with rapid change, threat, and disruption. While grand challenges tend to be global in nature, they typically have localised implications that require proactive and targeted HRM responses and interventions. At the macro level, grand challenges are characterised by economic, demographic, and socio-political changes, climate change and energy transition, societal and community disenfranchisement and a reduction in social cohesion, as well as technological forces that are driving the creation of new contexts, leading to new models of organisations, employment, and work relationships (Brewster and Holland, 2019). In responding to such challenges, Baumann et al. (2024) highlight the need for organisation designs that are ‘problem-solving systems that enable the collective action necessary to address complex challenges’ (p. 166). At the meso-organisation level, contemporary challenges are underpinned by the increasing sophistication of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, the rise of the gig economy, and new ways of conceptualising and organising work (e.g., hybrid work, working remotely and from home) (Bartram and Cooke, 2022; Grant et al., 2023). There is also the continual global threat from terrorism, cyber-attacks, and workplace violence, all of which require HRM to demonstrate readiness, resilience, and agility to deal with new threats and disruptions. Individually and collaboratively, new challenges and disruptors are causing a reset in the future proofing of HRM and are challenging many traditional assumptions concerning how work is organised, undertaken and managed, and the role of HRM in responding to grand challenges (Lazarova et al., 2023).

While many scholars have advocated recent environmental disruptors such as those arising from the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for HRM theory and practice (Boocock, 2020), others have turned their attention to the downsides and questioned whether the changes that have occurred in HRM practices are for the greater good of society and the natural environment (Boumans, 2022; Guest and Grote, 2022). For example, it has been suggested that much of the new normal that has emerged in recent years is underpinned by a neo-liberal ideology that emphasises free markets, free movement of labour, financialisaton, individual contracting, limited societal governance, and a reduced role for the state (Thomas et al., 2020). Therefore, it may have potentially destructive and harmful effects on societies, organisations, and employees. We suggest that this requires scholars to focus attention on how HRM can more effectively engage with the impacts and lasting consequences of these grand challenges, including the legacy effects from COVID-19. It also raises important questions around the organisational level changes that need to occur in HRM practices to better account for broader stakeholder value. This has been the catalyst, we argue, for a renaissance of HRM approaches such as new bundling of HPWPs, wellbeing HRM, agile, and ethical HRM, as well as the emergence of responsible, sustainable, and common good HRM.

HRM will increasingly have to adapt to rapidly changing VUCA environments and evolve to remain relevant and effectual in both scholarly and practical terms. There is a plethora of different HRM systems and approaches, yet scholarship remains unclear on the extent to which these are adequate to respond to and meet contemporary and future grand challenges and disruptors. For example, sustainable HRM and common good HRM emphasise long-term objectives and focus on creating collective value over and above individual and organisation value (Garavan et al., 2024; Holland et al, 2024). Wellbeing HRM focuses on the employee perspective and attempts to mitigate the negative consequences of disruptors on employee health and wellbeing (Pariona-Cabrera et al., 2024). We suggest that emerging grand challenges require new ways of theorising that future proof and enable HRM to address societal level, as well as organisational level value and impact. However, we have few insights into what effectual HRM approaches might look like to respond to future grand societal challenges. What does this mean for the role of HRM departments, HR professionals, and line managers in the context of challenges, threats, and disruptions? Indeed, some might say what is the relevance of HRM if it cannot adapt and respond effectively to grand societal challenges and disruptions (Dundon and Rafferty, 2018).

Our focus on future proofing HRM comes at an important juncture given that there are increasing calls for HRM research to engage with grand challenges (Buckley et al., 2017; Harney and Collings, 2021; Lazarova et al., 2023) with criticisms that HRM research is running out of steam and becoming less relevant beyond the organisation level. This special issue call provides the opportunity to advance HRM in these critical areas of research which will map the future of work in the decades to come.

Theoretical Contributions

This special issue invites scholars to contribute new theories and insights that are suited to understanding HRM approaches such as new bundling of HPWPs, wellbeing HRM, agile HRM, and responsible, ethical, and common good HRM in the context of grand societal challenges and disruptors, and to develop new theories and approaches to future proofing HRM in an increasingly VUCA world. We seek out research that uses, for example, systems theory, paradox theory, ecosystems and/or ecological system, HPWS, wellbeing HRM, sustainable HRM and common good HRM theories to shed light on how a future proofed HRM would operate to contribute value for multiple stakeholders. Our conceptualisation of HRM brings to the fore the society level of analysis and in doing so addresses a key issue highlighted by Cooke (2018, p. 3) who argued that ‘HR research mostly omits higher level political economy and societal level considerations including for example issues around liberal/coordinated state economic direction, and low/high unemployment in labour markets’. Through this special issue, we hope to stimulate and invite contributions that incorporate a focus beyond the organisation level to understand the role of HRM in the context of contemporary grand challenges and disruptors. The special issue will appeal to HRM researchers who are interested in pushing the boundaries of existing theorising to provide an alternative to existing neo-liberal conceptualisations of HRM theory and practice. We strongly encourage submissions that take an interdisciplinary perspective and address the plurality of the socially constructed and contextually embedded nature of HRM. The special issue will also appeal to HRM scholars grappling with developing new HRM responses to the realities of grand challenges.

Themes and Potential Research Questions

Theorizing and future proofing HRM to respond to grand societal challenges

• What theoretical perspectives should be used to understand and theorize ethical and responsible HRM paradigms in response to grand challenges?
• What are the boundaries and contours of an agile and flexible HRM paradigm that can adapt to rapid change and disruptors?
• What are the features of contemporary grand societal challenges that are driving a shift towards new HRM models and approaches to future proofing HRM?
• What are the components of a HRM system required to respond to grand challenges in our current and future operating environments?
• How is value conceptualised in the context of responsible HRM? What are the consequences or outcomes of HRM acting responsibly?

HRM processes, practices, and roles to respond to grand societal challenges

• What HRM processes and practices best enable value creation for multiple stakeholders?
• How can the HRM function deal with the decision-making complexities of HRM to respond to grand challenges and disruptors?
• How can new bundles of HPWPs enable organisations and employees to respond and adapt to grand challenges?
• To what extent are high performance work systems (HPWS) relevant or valuable in the context of HRM responding to grand challenges? Are there other configurations of HRM that are more relevant, such as sustainable, wellbeing, agile, and/or ethical HRM?
• How will the HR function measure value/desirable outcomes for key stakeholders in responding to the grand challenges?
• How do HR professionals upskill to think beyond the organisation and engage with multiple stakeholders to respond to grand challenges and disruptors?
• What changes are required in HR practices to realise or aspire to responsible HRM or HRM acting responsibly?
• What are the challenges and opportunities for future proofing HRM in different contexts including SMEs, not-for profits (e.g., NGOs, aid organisations, sporting organisations, volunteer organisations, religious organisations), public sector organisations (e.g., public hospitals, police service, paramedics, fire and rescue services), and MNCs?
• What competencies are required of HR practitioners in the context of future proofing HRM to respond to grand societal challenges and disruptors?