Green Human Resource Management as a Strategic Resource Influencing Operational Efficiency in Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry in Thailand

Abstract

Background and Aims: Manufacturing industries are increasingly confronted with environmental pressures and intensified competition, necessitating the integration of sustainability into organizational practices. The ready-mixed concrete industry, characterized by high resource and energy intensity, faces substantial environmental challenges. Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has been recognized as a strategic approach to embedding environmental considerations into human resource practices. While prior research has established a positive association between GHRM and organizational performance, limited empirical evidence exists regarding the relative effects of specific GHRM dimensions in industry-specific contexts. Grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study examines GHRM as a strategic organizational resource influencing operational performance.

Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected from 533 human resource managers in ready-mixed concrete firms in Thailand, yielding a response rate of 60.78%. The measurement instrument demonstrated acceptable content validity (IOC = 0.67–1.00), internal consistency reliability (0.66–0.76), and construct validity (0.45–0.63). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Multicollinearity was assessed using variance inflation factors (VIFs), which were within acceptable thresholds.

Results: The regression model explained a substantial proportion of variance in operational performance (Adjusted R² = 0.623), indicating strong explanatory power. Green communication exhibited the strongest standardized effect (β = 0.310, p < 0.01), followed by green employee relations (β = 0.215, p < 0.01), green compensation (β = 0.169, p < 0.01), and green training and development (β = 0.136, p < 0.01). In contrast, green performance management showed a relatively weak effect and was only marginally significant (β = 0.078, p < 0.10). These findings suggest heterogeneous effect sizes across GHRM dimensions.

Conclusion: The results provide empirical support for RBV by demonstrating that GHRM practices function as valuable and firm-specific resources that enhance operational performance. Notably, communication- and participation-oriented practices exert stronger effects than control-oriented mechanisms, highlighting the importance of behavioral alignment and employee engagement in sustainability-driven contexts. The comparatively weak effect of green performance management may reflect its limited strategic integration within organizational systems. These findings underscore the need for a more holistic and integrated implementation of GHRM practices.