Table 1. Main themes, subthemes and... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1.

Main themes, subthemes and interpretive descriptions from the analysis

Main themes with description	Subthemes	What the subthemes explore:
Preparing the ground: Making sustainability workable Description: This theme explores how HR professionals interpret, negotiate and navigate sustainability expectations in complex organizational context	Grappling with abstract sustainability agendas	How HR professionals interpret vague sustainability frameworks and translate them into concrete, locally relevant concerns
	Grounding sustainability in the human dimension of HR practices	How sustainability is intuitively understood through HR professionals’ everyday focus on inclusion, employee well-being and meaningful work
	Negotiating when to enable or lead in sustainability work	How HR professionals position themselves in relation to others when driving or supporting sustainability initiatives
	Sensing societal ripple effects of HR practices	How HR professionals recognize their work as contributing to the broader common good, extending beyond organizational boundaries
Rooting sustainability: Making it live through practice Description: This theme explores how HR professionals incorporate sustainability in HR practices through reflexive dialogue, peer learning and value-based professional conduct	Creating space for collaborative reflection in HR practice	How HR professionals foster peer dialogue and ethical reflection, positioning learning as a central component of sustainability work, despite organizational constraints
	Embedding sustainability through cross-functional collaboration	How HR professionals advance sustainability efforts by navigating between silos, stakeholders and competing expectations to make sustainability actionable
	Carrying the torch: Embodying sustainability through everyday action	How HR professionals internalize and enact sustainability through everyday behaviors and personal responsibility, shaping an ethical workplace culture

Main themes with description	Subthemes	What the subthemes explore:
Preparing the ground: Making sustainability workable Description: This theme explores how HR professionals interpret, negotiate and navigate sustainability expectations in complex organizational context	Grappling with abstract sustainability agendas	How HR professionals interpret vague sustainability frameworks and translate them into concrete, locally relevant concerns
	Grounding sustainability in the human dimension of HR practices	How sustainability is intuitively understood through HR professionals’ everyday focus on inclusion, employee well-being and meaningful work
	Negotiating when to enable or lead in sustainability work	How HR professionals position themselves in relation to others when driving or supporting sustainability initiatives
	Sensing societal ripple effects of HR practices	How HR professionals recognize their work as contributing to the broader common good, extending beyond organizational boundaries
Rooting sustainability: Making it live through practice Description: This theme explores how HR professionals incorporate sustainability in HR practices through reflexive dialogue, peer learning and value-based professional conduct	Creating space for collaborative reflection in HR practice	How HR professionals foster peer dialogue and ethical reflection, positioning learning as a central component of sustainability work, despite organizational constraints
	Embedding sustainability through cross-functional collaboration	How HR professionals advance sustainability efforts by navigating between silos, stakeholders and competing expectations to make sustainability actionable
	Carrying the torch: Embodying sustainability through everyday action	How HR professionals internalize and enact sustainability through everyday behaviors and personal responsibility, shaping an ethical workplace culture

Source(s): Authors’ own work