Leading and learning for sustainability: the human resource dimension of organizational viability

What the paper says

In today’s rapidly shifting global landscape, organizations face mounting pressures to adapt, innovate, and remain sustainable and resilient in the face of technological change, workforce shortages and increasing performance demands. These pressures create new challenges for how organizations develop, support and retain their people. Learning, training and knowledge management systems must now function under conditions of digitalization, remote work, continuous change and growing concern for employee well-being. Traditional human resource management must now be supplemented with approaches that offer more flexibility and agility but also effective interplay between work environment, capability development and employee psychological respurces.In this issue, Ramgolam, Ramphul, & Chittoo (2025) conducted a bibliometric analysis followed by a content analysis of articles published between 2015 and 2025 on Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM). Memon, Jehanzeb, & Mirza (2025) investigated the learning climate as a catalyst for knowledge-based HRM, resilience and performance among hospitality professionals. Lathabhavan & Chidananda (2025) addressed training transfer effectiveness, defined as the application of knowledge and skills acquired during a training program in the workplace. They focused on self-efficacy in relation to work environment factors. Yaqub, Chhajer, Dutta, & Singh (2025) conducted an empirical investigation of the effectiveness of managerial transfer design, considering psychological factors. Mandaleeka, Thatta, & Sriramneni (2025) examined the influence of digital training on job performance in the South Indian automotive sector. Jabbour Al Maalouf & Sarkis (2025) discussed factors that enable effective virtual team performance. Finally, Lathabhavan & Alhil (2025) discussed hybrid or blended learning in higher education institutions through a bibliographical analysis.Across all these contributions, the central message is clear: learning, training and knowledge transfer are increasingly vital to organizational success and sustainability. Yet, they are also becoming more complex, context-sensitive and dependent on both individual and structural enablers. Further analysis will continue to reveal the nuanced factors and contingencies that shape learning effectiveness in different settings. As organizations evolve, it is not enough to cultivate competence alone – it is equally important to develop human resources who are supported, resilient and sustainable in terms of their well-being.Modern business and organizational life is marked by numerous challenges that add to its complexity and the ambiguity of performance. Growing competitive pressures make it difficult to maintain high profitability. At the same time, customers and other stakeholders question the sustainability of business practices and organizational behavior (Hronová & Špaček, 2021), prompting organizations to pursue multiple objectives. As a result, performance is now defined more broadly as the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental outcomes (Elkington, 1997). This concept encourages organizations to balance profitability with social concerns, employee and community well-being, and environmental protection while pursuing long-term, effective and socially responsible value creation. In this context, the major burden falls on employees as empowered individuals to juggle multiple goals and performance indicators, and achieve organizational sustainable success, making them the organization’s greatest assets. This raises the question of which human resource management and leadership practices could help achieve these goals and which practices could also support sustainable employee performance (SEP).The solution lies in SHRM practices aimed at achieving SEP, as discussed by Ramgolam et al. (2025). SHRM refers to HRM practices that support the achievement of triple bottom line results while mitigating negative side effects (Ehnert, Parsa, Roper, Wagner, & Muller-Camen, 2016). When employees face high performance demands – including challenges to improve productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, profitability and competitiveness, as well as pressures to do more with less and act socially responsibly – these demands can negatively affect employee well-being. Workforce shortages, increasing job demands, decreasing job resources and longer working years also contribute to greater strain and stress (Siegrist, 1996). This may result in strong short-term performance but can lead to difficulties in maintaining performance and even a decline in long-term performance (Taris, & Schaufeli, 2015). In short, employees should be able to perform well while maintaining productivity and engagement over the long term. Therefore, it is necessary to consider employee performance and well-being simultaneously (Van der Heijden et al., 2020), which leads to the discussion of SEP (Ji, de Jonge, Peeters, & Taris, 2021).The sustainability of employee performance is often overlooked in both academic literature and practice due to a focus on short-term results. However, organizations seek to endure, perform and transform continuously, making long-term sustained employee performance critically important. Work performance and employee well-being should therefore be considered and maximized together (Peeters, Taris, & De Jonge, 2013; Ji et al., 2021). This also requires treating employees fairly and ethically (Hronová & Špaček, 2021). Previous authors have introduced the concepts of work sustainability and sustainable work systems and practices (Docherty, Kira, & Shani, 2009; Kira & Lifvergren, 2013) as ways to ensure sustainable work performance, employee development and well-being. This combination can enhance employee satisfaction, motivation and commitment, which may lead to increased productivity, creativity and innovation. Balanced and SHRM practices can therefore foster greater employee vitality, resulting in higher energy, stamina, passion and excitement about work (Spreitzer, Porath, & Gibson, 2012). SHRM practices also contribute to lower absenteeism and employee turnover, greater job stability and organizational loyalty, which is especially important given current demographic challenges. However, this practice remains aspirational because research is still limited, and practitioners are unfamiliar with it and unsure how to implement it effectively (Macke & Genari, 2019). Practitioners should also remember that even if these practices are implemented, their value should be assessed by employees, as the effectiveness of these measures depends on employees’ favorable evaluation and acceptance (Meijerink, Beijer, & Bos-Nehles, 2021).Learning is central to SHRM practices. Organizations that foster a learning culture encourage the creation, acquisition, sharing and implementation of knowledge in the value creation process, enhancing both employee and overall performance (Ju, Lee, Park, & Yoon, 2021). SHRM practices are also integral to learning organizations, as these organizations inherently prioritize employee well-being and happiness. They are places:Such an environment not only promotes personal excellence but also fosters harmonious teamwork and team learning through dialogue, critical thinking and joint sense-making, leading to a greater sense of purpose, fulfillment and improved individual and collective performance.A learning orientation that encourages employee learning and empowerment can also increase employee participation in job crafting, which Ramgolam et al. (2025) identified as a theme in SHRM literature and as a contributor to employee well-being. Knowledgeable and empowered employees in learning organizations naturally look for ways to shape their work and complete tasks in a more sustainable, balanced and productive way (Olafsen, Marescaux, & Kujanpää, 2025). Job crafting can therefore be an effective strategy for implementing SHRM and can lead to greater employee satisfaction, vitality and commitment (de Jonge & Peeters, 2019). However, practitioners should note that job crafting can also increase job complexity and workload due to greater responsibility (Li, Meng, & Wang, 2022), so management should monitor these processes and recommend a more balanced approach based on systems analysis.This brings us to the role of management and leadership, which should be examined in more detail and which Ramgolam et al. (2025) identified as another theme in SHRM literature and as a contributor to sustained employee performance. They found that transformational leadership is frequently mentioned in this context. Transformational leaders encourage employees to reevaluate and change their mental models, beliefs and behaviors, leading to greater individual and organizational transformation and development (Conger, Kanungo, & Menon, 2000). However, if the leader is combative and multiple visions collide, this can cause stress and discomfort among employees. For this reason, authors suggest implementing sustainable leadership (Iqbal & Ahmad, 2021), which encourages followers to adopt sustainable practices that can be recognized by both followers and the leader.The final theme identified by Ramgolam et al. (2025) as influencing employee performance and potentially contributing to sustained employee performance is artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a valuable tool that can significantly enhance performance and productivity (Ramachandran et al., 2022) and support employee decision-making (Chowdhury et al., 2023). In theory, this could encourage employees to engage more in critical and systems thinking to develop creative solutions. However, investment in AI should be matched by investment in employee training and education, which is often not the case, as AI investment is typically prioritized (Prentice, Wong, & Lin, 2023). This imbalance also raises concerns among employees about being replaced by AI, which leads to job insecurity, stress and potentially unethical behavior, all of which negatively impact performance. Leaders and managers practicing SHRM should therefore take a balanced approach to employee–AI interaction and complementarity to reduce unnecessary stress and sustain good performance. This underscores the need for a learning environment where a shared vision is created, mental models are jointly evaluated, systems thinking is practiced at all levels, and knowledge is continuously integrated into the value creation process through organizational learning. The crucial role of leadership must be emphasized once again.Given the complexity of the modern environment, organizational resilience is a goal that many organizations strive to achieve. Organizational resilience is defined as an organization’s capacity to sustain itself when facing unforeseen circumstances by adjusting its management based on strong organizational capabilities (Carvalho, Ribeiro, Cirani, & Cintra, 2016). Learning is key to developing and strengthening organizational capabilities, so a learning culture that encourages employee learning behavior strongly supports the development of organizational resilience (Nikolova, Van Ruysseveldt, De Witte, & Van Dam, 2014). A learning culture provides an environment where employees can learn, engage in dialogue, make sense of situations together, reflect critically with others, share knowledge and experiment with new approaches, leading to organizational advancement, viability and resilience.A learning culture can be subtle, so it should be supported by other management practices, such as knowledge-based HRM, as suggested by Memon et al. (2025) in this issue. Knowledge-based HRM refers to practices that stimulate knowledge acquisition, sharing, exchange, transformation and assimilation into organizational practices and the value creation process across the organization (Singh, Mazzucchelli, Vessal, & Solidoro, 2021). Therefore, it includes knowledge-based recruitment (KBR), knowledge-based training (KBT), knowledge-based performance assessment (KBPA) and knowledge-based compensation (KBC) (Memon et al., 2025).In knowledge-intensive organizations, it is important to recruit candidates with strong learning abilities who are likely to engage in networking, information acquisition and knowledge sharing. This approach is known as KBR (Al-Tal & Emeagwali, 2019). KBR should be followed by KBT, which ensures that employee knowledge and skills are continuously updated to prevent deterioration and further developed through appropriate methods such as general and personalized training (Al-Tal & Emeagwali, 2019). By enhancing employee knowledge, skills and expertise, employees also develop and reinforce their beliefs, attitudes and value systems regarding the importance of continuous learning and knowledge sharing. This helps the learning further their motivation to their knowledge new and engage in critical thinking and knowledge-intensive organizations, employee performance can be through This approach measures employees’ to knowledge processes such as the creation, sharing and implementation of knowledge (Al-Tal & Emeagwali, 2019). The results are shared with employees to encourage further When is and in employee and motivation to enhance their learning, knowledge and skills knowledge and learning at the of performance can also the learning employee performance is based on their to knowledge their compensation can also be knowledge-based (Al-Tal & Emeagwali, 2019). This compensation approach can further reinforce employee knowledge processes and behavior, with to the learning that foster knowledge processes and a learning climate can more This also their employees are more likely to engage in behavior based on learning and acquired knowledge, which can stimulate organizational innovation. make it especially necessary for employees to and develop new for and business models to challenges & When an organization knowledge-based HRM practices, the learning climate can further enhance their effects and lead to organizational resilience through knowledge-based making all However, knowledge-based HRM and a learning climate should be supported by and processes to et al. (2025) that knowledge-based HRM practices such as KBT, and have a and on employee of the learning climate in a of hospitality They also found that the learning climate they developed organizational resilience and innovation. However, KBR not found to be to the learning which could be by the skills and of work for these professionals. the learning climate and learning both and negative which helps resilience through development and innovation. should therefore the importance of learning, knowledge sharing and in their behavior and They should employees with learning and knowledge sharing and work to improve their motivation for learning and knowledge seek ways to improve human performance. is an effective for this is also important for employees and should ensure the application of acquired skills in the workplace. However, research found that of managers do not effectively the knowledge training & and this over Therefore, training transfer – the of skills and at work – identified as a that requires as the implementation of skills and knowledge is recognized as a key of organizational learning and transfer depends on motivation to transfer the during training to the job and to defined as the to maintain to training outcomes to the job and difficulties ensure effective training the training transfer should be considering the of the training content and as well as to regarding their This motivation and ensures and more effective transfer of training to the workplace. The between training content and job also motivation to transfer training to the & motivation is also key in effective training which can be improved with organizational and social support and by such as of support and & Chidananda (2025) also discussed the importance of self-efficacy in the effectiveness of training refers to an in their competence and as well as their to them to perform and achieve a of performance with higher self-efficacy are more likely to goals and their acquired knowledge and skills more effectively when given the to self-efficacy is by a combination of psychological and environmental including and social the and and are more likely to perform if they have a of personal that to their support their environment – such as and – and are less to self-efficacy should also be considered which to the role of management to support in self-efficacy for effective training Practitioners should especially consider the as suggested by Lathabhavan & Chidananda employees with the to perform and the knowledge and ensure support and stimulate employees are not an to perform and their acquired knowledge and skills they are less likely to them and their knowledge and skills will in This is to perform is considered the important of the work environment to foster effective training transfer & However, these not be effectively the employees are supported by of resources and & are even more likely to the knowledge and given that psychological conditions are if they are empowered or given to their methods to achieve to perform can also further their personal and reduce stress and to their self-efficacy could be support refers to the and that or managers to employees in acquired knowledge and skills Park, & 2019). to perform are not and as new skills can be and cause should about and to as and to employees when support and employees their personal and reinforce their When employees are given time, resources and to experiment with new knowledge and skills – even if they or do not achieve the performance – it is and promotes training transfer and support is only of training are less likely to to managers for this could make them or They are often more likely to seek help and support their This is support is also an important in effective training can help employees new knowledge and skills while their support can also take the of a where employees share and engage in joint and critical which helps them improve and new of personal This also to teamwork and a sense of which employee motivation to transfer their knowledge and skills to the workplace. support is therefore of the social factors that effective training training also so organizations in managerial training et al. (2025) investigated managerial training transfer in a of managerial who an training They found a of motivation to transfer on the process of training transfer among They also that managers need to transfer to during the process of knowledge transfer to the workplace. training transfer key for both This that the role of the during and the training process is crucial for effective managerial and employee training The of the as well as the training and methods are important in the training The training program should be and to effectively complete the program and foster motivation and for training during the process is also important to ensure necessary of the training process, and to Finally, support is to create and increase the that the acquired will be long the program et al. (2025) examined the effects of digital training on job performance. training is increasingly because it greater flexibility and is also making it for where are frequently This digital training effective for learning agility and offer making learning more and content more through or even greater due to its In have found to enhance and competence more learning methods & 2019). Therefore, digital training can improve skills increase the sense of for and and help improve job performance & training can help improve job performance. However, it is important to which factors its In this et al. 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(2025) also identified job as the of job performance. 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