Digital Embeddedness as a Moderator of Inclusive Human Resource Management on Proactive Employee Social Responsibility Behavior: A Multi-Case Study of SMEs
关键词:
digital embeddedness; inclusive human resource management; proactive employee social responsibility behavior; SMEs; grounded theory摘要
Against the backdrop of global digital transformation, human resource management has evolved from an organizational efficiency–centered function to an integrated field incorporating sociology, ethics and social psychology. Small and medium-sized enterprises, as key actors in economic development and social governance, face structural constraints in corporate social responsibility implementation, including limited capital, informal institutions and uneven digital adoption. Mainstream HRM research remains dominated by efficiency-oriented frameworks and large-firm samples, with insufficient attention to micro-level proactive employee social responsibility behavior and the socio-technical mechanisms through which digital systems shape inclusive management. This study integrates stakeholder theory, self-determination theory and digital embeddedness theory to explore the linkage between inclusive HRM practices and proactive employee social responsibility behavior in digitally transforming SMEs. Adopting a multi-case grounded theory design, this study selects three manufacturing and service SMEs in the Yangtze River Delta region with mature digital management systems and documented CSR practices. Data are collected via semi-structured interviews, internal policy documents, employee survey records and public CSR disclosures, and analyzed through open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Findings reveal four core dimensions of inclusive HRM practices in SMEs: equity inclusion, developmental inclusion, supportive inclusion and participative inclusion. These practices positively predict proactive employee social responsibility behavior through the serial mediation of psychological ownership and perceived organizational social responsibility. Digital embeddedness acts as a positive moderator that strengthens the transmission effect by lowering coordination costs, improving practice transparency and enhancing behavioral visibility. This study expands the theoretical boundaries of HRM research, clarifies the micro-foundations of employee-driven CSR, and provides guidance for SMEs to build digitally enabled inclusive HRM systems that align organizational sustainability with social value creation.
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