Abstract
Ulrich’s role frameworks describe human resources’ (HR) contribution through strategy, change, process expertise, employee advocacy, capability development, and leadership. Research shows that HR professionals who recognise ethical responsibilities often struggle to act on them amid competing priorities and unequal power. This conceptual paper proposes an Ethics and Sustainability Steward as an additional role in Ulrich’s framework, bringing ethical reasoning, stakeholder effects, and long-term social and environmental consequences into HR decisions. The Steward combines deliberative analysis with assertive challenge when concerns meet resistance and treats certain ethical minimums as floors that wealth creation cannot override. Five groups of propositions address role designation, legitimacy, decision-maker response, durability, and decision outcomes.
Keywords: employee wellbeing; ethical stewardship; role theory; sustainable human resource management; Ulrich’s HR roles
Citation: Syed, J. (2026). Beyond Ulrich’s HR role framework: The case for an Ethics and Sustainability Steward. SAAM Working Paper 20261004. South Asian Academy of Management.
Discussion Questions
- Why might Ethics and Sustainability Stewardship (ESS) need explicit attention alongside Ulrich’s HR roles?
- Can existing HR roles reliably keep employee wellbeing and long-term social and environmental effects in view when these conflict with short-term performance?
- What could an ESS add to HR decision-making—and what might prevent the role from making a difference?
- How could an organisation tell whether ESS is shaping decisions or is merely a stated value?
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