Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Industry 4.0 is one of the most discussed and anticipated phenomena of the last period. Introduced initially in the Hanover Conference in 2011, this term, and its relative concept, has not yet found unanimous consensus within the scientific community. However, researchers commonly refers to Industry 4.0 as the fourth Industrial Revolution (Hermann & Pentek, 2015). Its main impact is on the industrial production system and the management of employees. Especially on this last issue, Industry 4.0 will have dramatic consequences. The automation will cause a loss of jobs between 400 and 800 million (Manyika, Lund, Chui, Bughin, & Woetzel, 2017) by 2030. The challenge of Industry 4.0 becomes of paramount importance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have already been competing in a globalised market for years and have harshly suffered from the financial crisis of 2008. The modest size and the limited investment possibilities require skilful use of resources, both economic and human. In this perspective, human resources management (HRM) has the delicate task of ensuring the implementation of the Industry 4.0. To highlight the impact of industry 4.0 on companies and especially on HRM, this thesis present three literature reviews. In the absence of direct research on Industry 4.0 and HRM the purpose of these reviews was to highlight the role of HRM within the manufacturing sector. This dissertation contains the three research questions spreading from the literature reviews. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, Multiple Case Studies (Yin, 2009) were selected as the methodology for answering the research questions. Five companies were analysed, four Italian and one Dutch. The interviews conducted led to the identification of six propositions. The results of this thesis point to the identifications of some HR practices which are a direct consequence of Industry 4.0 implementation. Moreover, the dissertation identified a framework that shows how companies have grown in maturity both in the application of 4.0 and the sophistication of practices. Companies have improved their practices along with the maturity of the Industry 4.0.
Author: Dennis Trotta
Language: English
Subfield: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3047949432