HUMAN OR INHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT?

Abstract

During the last two decades, there is a surge of interest and a small explosion in the academic publications on business ethics, but only a ‘modest growth of interest’ in the field of ethics and HRM (Pinnington et al. 2007:2). In my paper I would like to show the possible value and significance of the participatory paradigm, and the cooperative research methods (Heron 1996) in the exploration and development of several aspects of HR ethics. I will claim that the theoretical and the practical framework of participatory paradigm, in which theory and practice research together, ethical dilemmas of HRM ethics can be explored and developed in a democratic, collaborative and emancipative research method, integrating theory and practice. Finally I will present the results of two cooperative inquiry research projects undertaken with Human Resource Management professionals on the subject of ethical HRM.