The Dao of Selflessness: Human Resource Management Practices Reconciling Success and Well‐Being

This study addresses the perennial challenge in management research of aligning organizational interests with employee well‐being. Through an in‐depth case study of a Chinese retail firm known for its exceptional employee welfare and sustained high performance within a declining offline retail industry, we identify a unique human resource management philosophy: “reconciliation through selflessness,” grounded in traditional Chinese Daoist thought. We demonstrate how selflessness resolves tensions between organizational interests and employee well‐being—simultaneously enhancing both. Furthermore, we find that this philosophy is operationalized through three core practices: radical and systematic benevolence, meticulous and evolving institutionalization, and comprehensive employee autonomy. We clarify the distinct and joint functions of these practices. This research offers novel theoretical and practical insights for reconciling organizational paradoxes and proposes a new framework for humanistic and effective HRM.