IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/ijmpps/ijm-03-2021-0176.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of human resource practices in the implementation of digital transformation

Author

Listed:
  • Álvaro Nicolás-Agustín
  • Daniel Jiménez-Jiménez
  • Francisco Maeso-Fernandez

Abstract

Purpose - Professionals and academics need to know what human resource practices are necessary in this Industry 4.0 environment and digital revolution. This research studies some human resource practices in the digital age that favor the implementation of digital transformation. The authors’ arguments suggest that for personnel to be a key asset in digital transformation processes, a strategic alignment is necessary to drive the company toward these objectives. Design/methodology/approach - The hypotheses were tested in a representative sample of 184 manufacturing companies with ten or more employees located in the southeast of Spain, using partial least squares. Findings - The authors’ findings show that human resource practices partially mediate the relationship between strategic alignment and digital transformation. Based on the contingent approach, the authors also maintain that the company must implement human resource practices that encourage employee behaviors that are consistent with the organization's strategy. This strategic alignment and these human resource practices enable companies to achieve digital transformation in search of superior performance. Research limitations/implications - Longitudinal and multilevel studies could increase the strength of the research, which could also include companies from other sectors. Although the technology component is fundamental in digital transformation processes, human capital management is even more important. This research highlights the mediating role of human resource management, where practices such as teleworking, teamwork and employee engagement are essential to foster innovative behavior and implement the digital transformation process. Practical implications - In the new digital environment, companies must adopt a set of human resource practices that favor innovative employee behavior that helps digitally transform their businesses. Originality/value - To the best of authors’ knowledge, this empirical study has not been previously carried out. The theoretical model and hypothesis testing provide strategic value for understanding some of the determinants of digital transformation in relation to human resource management.

Suggested Citation

  • Álvaro Nicolás-Agustín & Daniel Jiménez-Jiménez & Francisco Maeso-Fernandez, 2021. "The role of human resource practices in the implementation of digital transformation," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 43(2), pages 395-410, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijmpps:ijm-03-2021-0176
    DOI: 10.1108/IJM-03-2021-0176
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJM-03-2021-0176/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJM-03-2021-0176/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/IJM-03-2021-0176?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bansal, Anjali & Panchal, Tanvi & Jabeen, Fauzia & Mangla, Sachin Kumar & Singh, Gurmeet, 2023. "A study of human resource digital transformation (HRDT): A phenomenon of innovation capability led by digital and individual factors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Vendrell-Herrero, Ferran & Para-González, Lorena & Mascaraque-Ramírez, Carlos & Freixanet, Joan, 2024. "The order of the factors matters: How digital transformation and servitization integrate more efficiently," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    3. Zhi-Guang Li & Yanrui Wu & Yao-Kuang Li, 2023. "Technical Founders, Digital Transformation and Corporate Technological Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in China’s STAR Market," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 23-03, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eme:ijmpps:ijm-03-2021-0176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.