A Multi-Level Systems Perspective on (Un)sustainable HRM in Adult Social Care

Abstract

This paper contributes to sustainable HRM theory, policy, and practice by applying and extending systems theory. A framing is developed and applied by triangulating data from 85 interviews with workers, managers, and other stakeholders (e.g., unions, employer representatives, charities) in adult social care, along with qualitative and quantitative secondary data sources. The findings highlight three main (un)sustainable HRM challenges shaped by inconsistencies between employment in the public and independent sectors: constrained system resources, disconnected career structures, and uneven voice patterns. The article contributes to HR theory by re-framing “(un)sustainable HRM” to include how actors are constrained and/or supported by multi-level relationships between systems and sub-systems. The research advances policy and practice by proposing how more sustainable HRM approaches could be implemented.