Analysing the impact of sustainable human resource management practices and industry 4.0 technologies adoption on employability skills

Abstract

PurposeThe study aims to examine the influence of Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM) practices and Industry 4.0 Technologies (I4Te) adoption on the Employability Skills (ES) of the employees. The study has undertaken four major SHRM practices – Training (TR), Flexibility (FL), Employee Participation (EP) and Employee Empowerment (EE) to measure its impact on the ES along with I4Te.Design/methodology/approachA survey approach method was designed on the identified constructs from existing literature based on SHRM, I4Te and ES. The survey resulted into 198 valid responses. The study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 25.0 for constructs validation and hypothesis testing.FindingsThe current study reveals that all the four SHRM practices (TR, FL, EP and EE) along with I4Te directly influence ES in the organisation. The I4Te along with the SHRM practices may bring enhancement in the skills and competencies of the employees that is the requirement of future organisations.Practical implicationsConsidering the results, the SHRM practices aligned with I4Te may directly influence the employee's ES including core skills, IT skills and personal attributes. The SHRM practices in the organisation will enhance the opportunities for the employees and bring long-term association with the employees.Social implicationsFor the development of the economy and the individual, the SHRM practices need to conduct themselves in more socially responsible ways along with the I4Te to enhance the ES of the employees. The individual development will bring sustainable behavioural changes in the employees.Originality/valueThere has been no research conducted on exploring SHRM, I4Te and ES together. This is the pioneer in the HRM fields that explores the interrelationships and influence amongst the five constructs undertaken in the study.

The emerging work system and strategy for skills transition in South Africa

“…The broad objective of this study was to contribute to existing theory and knowledge, and advance managerial practice by providing a framework for policy formulation, both at organizational and governmental levels. We have, to a reasonable extent, bridged the gap in literature as highlighted by Hirschi (2017), Barley et al (2017) and Sharma (2021) who, in their respective studies, highlighted the paucity of academic literature on the implications of work digitization and sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices in Industry 4.0. Similarly, Campbell (2017) alluded to the state of under preparedness of the South African workforce for the complex transition of skills in a technologically driven work system.…”

“…Further, the paper represents an advancement of existing literature such as Barley et al (2017), which MRR 45,11 highlighted the scarcity of academic literature on HRM 4.0. Similarly, Sharma et al (2021) recommended the study of other sustainable human resource management practices that could enhance technological adoption in Industry 4.0. In addition, Hirschi (2017) noted the inadequacy of research that addresses the implications of digitization of work on career development under the dispensation of Industry 4.0.…”

“…This paper aims to examine the skills development strategies that organizations in South Africa are adopting in the transitioning of their respective workforces to fit the skills dynamics of the emerging work system.Design/methodology/approach -The paper uses the interpretive qualitative research strategy to draw evidence from semi-structured interviews conducted on 38 respondents, using the thematic analytical process to derive themes embedded in the data set.Findings -Based on the strength of data analysis, this paper identified two broad themes and six subthemes that are critical for the transformation and transition of existing pool of skills for the emerging work system in South Africa.Research limitations/implications -The research lacks ability to be generalized, which is a methodological limitation that is inherently associated with cross-sectional design and qualitative strategy in terms of causality and generalizability of findings.Originality/value -The main value-add of this paper is the development of evidence-based research outcomes that provide both theoretical and practical framework for skills development and transition initiatives that are imperative for policy formulation. The paper responded to, and advanced the respective works of Hirschi (2017), Sharma et al (2021) and Barley et al (2017), by establishing the following strategic themes that are critical for skills development and transition mechanisms in the emerging work system: stakeholder relationship, media and public perception, learning organization, higher education system, continuous skills development and technology and job losses.…”

“…Originality/value -The main value-add of this paper is the development of evidence-based research outcomes that provide both theoretical and practical framework for skills development and transition initiatives that are imperative for policy formulation. The paper responded to, and advanced the respective works of Hirschi (2017), Sharma et al (2021) and Barley et al (2017), by establishing the following strategic themes that are critical for skills development and transition mechanisms in the emerging work system: stakeholder relationship, media and public perception, learning organization, higher education system, continuous skills development and technology and job losses.…”

Digital technologies (DT) adoption in agri-food supply chains amidst COVID-19: an approach towards food security concerns in developing countries

“…This study highlights on crucial factors such as Digital Logistics and Technology Infrastructure (CSF8), E-governance Sustainable (CSF7), Food Security Decisions (CSF9) and Operational effectiveness and Scalability (CSF11) to enhance adoption of DT that will support in developing transparent, traceable supply chains. The Industry 4.0 technologies (such as the IoT, blockchain technology, digital twins, machine learning) will not only enhance operational efficiency but also will improve transparency, traceability and viability of AFSC (Sharma et al , 2021c).…”