IS CLIMATE ACTION TRANSFORMING IHRM STRATEGIES?
A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY IN FRENCH MULTINATIONALS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54695/grhu.137.0003Keywords:
Climate action; Multinational enterprises (MNEs); International human resource management (IHRM); International mobility (IM); Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Corporate social responsibility (CSR). Climate action; Multinational enterprises (MNEs); International human resource management (IHRM); International mobility (IM); Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Corporate social responsibility (CSR). Climate action; Multinational enterprises (MNEs); International human resource management (IHRM); International mobility (IM); Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Corporate social responsibility (CSR).Abstract
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in multinational enterprises (MNEs) poses crucial strategic and societal challenges, giving rise to a vast body of academic literature. However, this literature has so far paid little attention to the environmental impact of international human resource management (IHRM), despite the significant carbon footprint generated by the international mobility (IM) of expatriates and international executives. This article aims to examine how IM departments in MNEs address environmental responsibility and how climate action is transforming IHRM strategies.
Through a multiple case study conducted between 2021 and 2023 among nine French MNEs, we identify the changes that have been implemented. In some MNEs, obstacles have led to inaction on climate change. In most cases, IM policies are being ‘greened’ through incentives and employee accountability rather than constraints. Only one of the MNEs studied goes further and transforms its IHRM strategies by linking IM to talent management. These results contribute to our understanding of the implementation of CSR from the perspective of neo institutionalist theories and organisational learning, as well as to the emergence of green IHRM.
