Impact of Industry 4.0 on Human Resources Systems: The Emergence of Work 4.0

Introduction

The technological breakthrough of industry 4.0 implies not only a reconfiguration of the organization of work but also new approaches to human resource management. The Fourth Industrial Revolution affects HRM activities on three levels (Bissola & Imperatori, 2020). Firstly, HRM must assume the role of change agent in order to help the organization benefit from the advantages of the Human-Machine interface by developing the digital culture of employees to better collaborate with machines, colleagues, employees, and supervisors (Bissola & Imperatori, 2020). Second, the digital transformation requires an update of HR practices because working methods have changed: remote working, flexible schedules, a collaboration that crosses organizational boundaries, to name but a few (Bissola & Imperatori, 2020). Third, HRM should take a people-centered approach that aims to solve organizational problems by cultivating a deep understanding of human factors and the context around them (Bissola & Imperatori, 2020).

The reflection around the interconnection between the emergence of Industry 4.0 technologies and its impact on HR functions is relatively recent. However, HR functions realize HRM philosophy, processes, policies, processes, programms (Armstrong, 2020). Based on this principle, this chapter aims to explore the form of HR functions under the influence of Industry 4.0 technologies. More specifically, the chapter seeks to answer the following question: How does Industry 4.0 and its related technological shifts impact conventional human resources systems (HRS)?

To this end, the chapter is structured as follows: The following two sections (i.e., sections 2 and 3) establish a conceptual framework of the fundamental concepts of our study. Based on Armstrong's (2020) framework of reference, we define the first concept of HRM with an overview of the HR system and its constituent functions. Next, we look at the second key concept of Industry 4.0 with a definition of its four main components: Internet of Things, Internet of Services, Cyber-physical systems, and finally, the Smart Factory. In order to orient our research approach, section 4 proposes a general framework linking the two aforementioned concepts. Section 5 discusses the research methodology, whereas section 6 summarizes the literature review results. Finally, a conclusion is presented, wrapping up the findings pertaining to the components of Industry 4.0 on HRM in general and on its specific functions in particular.