Human resource management as an internal antecedent of environmental management: a joint analysis with competitive consequences in the hotel industry

Abstract

Firm success depends on economic performance, but also on social and environmental factors. We use abilities, motivations, and opportunities theory and resource-based view to analyse the role of human resources management (HRM) as an antecedent of environmental management and how this relationship contributes to a deeper understanding of the linkage between environmental management and performance. This is because there are no conclusive results of the costs and profits derived from environmental practices and HRM could add more information to this topic. Here, we show that a set of HRM practices, and specially employee participation processes and communication between managers and employees, significantly improves environmental management. Moreover, environmental management explains significantly competitive advantages and performance in the hotel industry. Findings show that hotels should have an HRM structure to train, motivate, develop, and retain employees to develop environmental management aimed at obtaining cost and differentiation advantages and improve their perceptual performance, average daily rate, and revenues per available room. Our findings have implications towards advancing theory because we develop an integrative framework which includes the link between HRM (antecedent) and environmental management, and the relationship between environmental management and competitive advantages and performance (consequences) in the hotel industry.

Keywords:

• Human resource management
• environmental management
• performance
• competitive advantage
• hotels

Acknowledgements

This research work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain (grant number ECO2015-67310P).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

María D. López-Gamero

Dr María D. López-Gamero, Associate Professor in Business Management at the University of Alicante, Spain. Her Ph. D. dissertation was an analysis of the relationship between environmental management and firm performance. Her current research includes sustainable tourism, environmental management and its relationship with quality management and organizational design.

Jorge Pereira-Moliner

Dr Jorge Pereira-Moliner, Professor in Business Management at the University of Alicante, Spain. His Ph. D. dissertation was an analysis of strategic groups in the hotel industry. His current research includes strategic management and strategic groups of the hotel industry, and quality and environmental management.

José F. Molina-Azorín

Dr José F. Molina-Azorín, Professor in Business Management at the University of Alicante, Spain. His research focuses on strategic management and environmental management, specifically the determinants of firm performance, the competitive effects of environmental management, the relationships between competitive strategy, environmental management, quality management and organizational design, and sustainability in the hotel industry. His current research interests are also focused on mixed methods research.

Juan José Tarí

Dr Juan José Tarí, Professor in Business Management at the University of Alicante, Spain. His Ph. D. dissertation was an analysis of quality management. His current research includes quality management and its relationship with sustainability, environmental management, organization design, innovation, and higher education.

Eva M. Pertusa-Ortega

Dr Eva M. Pertusa-Ortega, Associate Professor in Business Management at the University of Alicante, Spain. Her Ph. D. dissertation was an analysis of the relationship between organizational design and competitiveness. Her current research includes organizational design and its relationship with environmental and quality management, and the study of organizational and individual ambidexterity.