Abstract
The construction industry has undergone digital transformation, which has had an impact on human resource management (HRM) in such a way that traditional HRM methods are slowly being replaced by contemporary HRM methods with the goal of improving HRM. Although the use of digital technologies in HRM is becoming more popular, the precise effects of construction digitalisation on HRM practices remain largely unknown and unexplored, resulting in a knowledge gap that this study aims to address. The goal of this research was to determine how digitalisation in the construction industry has affected HRM practices. To achieve this goal, the study adopted a quantitative research method using a questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. The structured questionnaire was distributed to 182 HR managers and construction professionals in the Gauteng Province. To ensure internal consistency of responses, the scaled research questions were subjected to Cronbach’s alpha coefficient reliability test. The data was then analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as mean item score, the Kruskal-Wallis H-Test and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
The findings revealed several digital technologies that are critical for boosting HRM activities in the South African construction industry. These include mobile applications, building information modelling (BIM), cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and big data analytics. Furthermore, the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework was used to understand and analyse the factors that influence the adoption of digital technologies in HRM. The study revealed that organisational factors are crucial in encouraging the adoption of digital technologies for improving HRM in the industry. The study also found that construction digitalisation has substantial positive impacts on HRM, including ease in recruiting and selecting candidates, flexible training, improved quality of communication, effortless strategic decision-making mechanisms and improved problem-solving skills. However, there are barriers to the efficient use of digital technology for HRM, such as organisational culture, technology infrastructure, national regulations, lack of top management support, and a lack of clear vision and goals for digitalising HRM.
This study adds to the expanding body of knowledge on digital transformation of the construction industry by revealing how digitalisation impacts HRM in the context of the construction industry of South Africa. This study is a useful tool for HR professionals and
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construction organisations that are navigating the digital revolution of HRM in South Africa's construction industry.
KEYWORDS: Digitalisation, human resource management, digital HRM, construction industry