FROM HUMAN RESOURCE TO HUMAN DIGNITY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF LEADERSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE HRM IN EDUCATIONAL COUNSELING SYSTEMS

Abstract

The convergence of leadership and sustainable human resource management (S-HRM)
has driven a paradigmatic shift from an instrumental human resource logic toward dignity-based
organizing. However, the conceptual integration among leadership, S-HRM, and human dignity
remains fragmented, particularly within educational counseling systems. This study aims to
synthesize the intellectual development, conceptual nexus, and implications of integrating these
three domains through a systematic literature review. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines,
this review analyzed 28 selected articles retrieved from Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar,
and citation-based searching, primarily published during 2021–2025, complemented by seminal
works as theoretical foundations. Using descriptive mapping, thematic synthesis, and theorybuilding conceptual integration, the review identifies three major shifts: leadership has evolved
from a performance-control orientation toward a relational-ethical infrastructure; S-HRM has
transformed from resource optimization into a human development architecture; and human
dignity has moved from an ethical complement to an organizing principle. The findings reveal an
increasing convergence among these domains through the themes of well-being, flourishing,
meaningful work, sustainable employability, and dignity-based organizing. This synthesis
produces an integrative framework, From Human Resource to Human Dignity. It proposes a
Dignity-Based Educational Counseling Ecosystem, positioning counseling systems as a strategic
locus for integrating relational leadership, developmental HRM, and dignity-based sustainability.
The review contributes theoretically by advancing a shift from human resource logic toward
human dignity logic as a new paradigm, while offering practical implications for reconstructing
educational counseling systems as human development ecosystems oriented toward flourishing,
justice, and sustainability.