Abstract
Orientation: Organisations are at the forefront of Industry 4.0 and employees are witnessing the changes it brings. Research purpose: The objective of the study was to explore the role of Human Resource (HR) professionals in navigating industry 4.0. Motivation for the study: There is scant scientific research on the role of HR professionals in industry 4.0 within the South African context, although there are workshops and seminars in the field. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research approach followed a case study design within an interpretivist research paradigm. We interviewed a purposive sample of 12 HR professionals (mean age = 43, six men and six women). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture perceptions of HR professionals and a thematic analysis was used to extract themes and sub-themes. Main findings: Seven prominent themes emerged, namely industry 4.0 practices in organisations, industry 4.0 and HR strategy, developing 4.0 competencies, HR 4.0 competencies, HR’s role in industry 4.0, challenges of 4.0 and 4.0 opportunities. From the main themes, sub-themes were identified, revealing that HR professionals need to assume roles as strategic business partners and talent managers, necessitating HR competencies such as creative innovator, change agent, strategic partner, and people enablement to take advantage of the opportunities of industry 4.0 and mitigate the associated challenges. Practical implications and contribution: HR professionals can use the findings as a basis for considering their role in industry 4.0. We propose a preliminary holistic model for navigating industry 4.0. It is suggested that future research may use this study as a point of departure within the South African context.