Mapping the intellectual structure of HR analytics and sustainability performance - A bibliometric analysis using the Dimensions database

¹ DKTES’s Department of Management Studies, Maharashtra, India
² Namibia Business School, University of Namibia, Namibia
³ KLS Institute of Management Education and Research, Karnataka. India
⁴ Synergy Green Industries Ltd, Kolhapur, India
⁵ DKTES’s Department of Management Studies, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

The study explores the intellectual composition and thematic development of research on HR Analytics and Sustainability Performance. HR analytics has become a strategic enabler for data-driven workforce management that contributes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes. Although research interest has increased, the intellectual composition of this research domain remains fragmented. This study has adopted a bibliometric approach based on peer-reviewed publications from the Dimensions database covering the period 2017–2026. It has explored publication trends through the application of Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer tools for citation, co-author, bibliographic coupling, and co-occurrence breakdown. The research has identified a significant increase in publication output after 2020, indicating the growing scholarly attention to the intersection of HR analytics, ESG integration, and organizational performance. HR analytics has also been identified as a research theme that integrates technological innovation and sustainability performance. The results also identify influential authors, emerging thematic clusters and strong thematic linkages between HR analytics, ESG integration, digital transformation and organizational performance. The study contributes by consolidating dispersed research streams and positioning HR analytics as a strategic capability that supports sustainable organizational performance.