Exploring the Interrelation of Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance Using Systems Thinking

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1184

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Kautz Gyula Faculty of Business and Economics, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Győr, Hungary
2. Department of Agricultural Management and Leadership, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: changes in strategic human resource management functions in the SME sector; healthy culture and employee well-being; employee retention and engagement; employment impacts of Industry 4.0

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to examine the complex relationships between Human Resource Management (HRM) and corporate performance from a systemic perspective. Going beyond traditional HR functions, we seek to explore the strategic and emerging areas of HRM—such as employee retention, psychological safety in the workplace, leadership development, employee well-being, job crafting, talent management, and AI-based systems—as a single, interconnected system. The Special Issue welcomes theoretical overviews and empirical and methodological studies that capture these interrelationships by using system dynamics models, complexity theory frameworks, or analyses that support organizational learning. The novelty of this Special Issue lies in the fact that it not only addresses new HR topics, but also interprets them using a systemic logic. It will highlight hidden feedback loops and interactions and build bridges between HR, management science, and systems science. The issues raised are particularly timely: digitalization, the transformation of work, the widespread focus on well-being, and the rise of artificial intelligence require new, holistic approaches. This Special Issue aims to address these recent issues.

Dr. Gábor Szabó-Szentgróti
Dr. Usama Awan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • corporate performance
  • systems thinking
  • organizational learning
  • strategic HRM
  • employee well-being
  • leadership development
  • job crafting
  • psychological safety
  • talent management
  • AI in HR

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 491 KB  
Article
Configurations of Sustainable HRM Practices for Organizational Resilience in Japan: A Crisp-Set QCA Study from a Socioformation Perspective
by Haruka Dounishi and Norio Kambayashi
Systems 2026, 14(3), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030336 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 480
Abstract
Sustainable human resource management (HRM) has attracted growing attention as a new paradigm for enhancing organizational resilience. However, prior studies mainly examined the effects of individual practices, offering a limited explanation of how organizational resilience emerges as an integrated mechanism. To address this [...] Read more.
Sustainable human resource management (HRM) has attracted growing attention as a new paradigm for enhancing organizational resilience. However, prior studies mainly examined the effects of individual practices, offering a limited explanation of how organizational resilience emerges as an integrated mechanism. To address this theoretical gap, we conceptualize sustainable HRM as an integral talent management process in which multiple practices operate interdependently and investigate the configurational mechanisms through which organizational resilience is generated in Japanese firms and discuss these from the perspective of socioformation. Based on six analytical dimensions derived from a tertiary literature review, we conducted a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA) using securities report data from 36 listed Japanese companies. The results revealed that organizational resilience is not achieved through a single best practice, but rather points to a new form of integrated human resource management aimed at sustainable value creation. From a socioformation perspective, employees are viewed not merely as productive inputs but as agents capable of continuous development through sustained investment in human potential. From this perspective, sustainable social development cannot be reduced to well-being or inclusion indicators alone but also encompasses ethical, collaborative, territorial, and interdisciplinary dimensions of transformation. The findings clarify the theoretical role of integral talent management in sustainable value creation and provide practical implications for human-centred management. Full article
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