Sustainable Human Resource Management and the Green Leadership Nexus: A Conceptual Systematic Review Toward Sustainable Organizational Performance

This study presents a conceptual systematic literature review (SLR) exploring the nexus between Sustainable Human Resource Management (SuHRM), Green Leadership, and Sustainable Organizational Performance (SOP). By synthesizing 45 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025, the review integrates fragmented research on Green HRM (GHRM), CSR-HR, and ESG-HRM practices to develop a multilevel conceptual framework. Guided by PRISMA 2020 and grounded in Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO), Social Exchange Theory (SET), Resource-Based View (RBV), and Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) theory, the study identifies how sustainability-oriented HR systems and green leadership behaviors co-evolve to shape long-term performance outcomes. The findings reveal three dominant research clusters: GHRM and Employee Green Behavior (EGB) as micro-level mechanisms driving sustainability; Green and Ethical Leadership as the meso-level cultural and moral enabler; and ESG-HRM Integration as the macro-level governance mechanism institutionalizing sustainability principles. The proposed conceptual model demonstrates that GHRM influences SOP through EGB, mediated by ethical climate and reinforced by green leadership, while ESG-HRM systems embed sustainability into HR governance and performance metrics. The review contributes theoretically by unifying HRM and leadership perspectives into a comprehensive sustainability framework and offers managerial implications for embedding green culture, ethical accountability, and ESG-based HR strategies. Ultimately, it advances the argument that aligning human capital practices with ethical and ecological leadership creates resilient, responsible, and high-performing sustainable organizations.