Adapting to AI: Employee Fitment in Industry 4.0
This study develops a practical understanding of the positive and negative employee experiences due to artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and the creation of technostress. It unravels the HR development-related challenges with the onset of Industry 4.0. Semi-structured interviews with 32 professionals working across nine industries were conducted.
The transcripts were analyzed using NVivo. The findings establish prominent adverse impacts of the adoption of AI, namely, information security, data privacy, drastic changes resulting from digital transformations, and job risk and insecurity brewing in the employee psyche. This is followed by a hierarchy of factors comprising the positive impacts, namely, work-related flexibility and autonomy, creativity and innovation, and overall enhancement in job performance.
Further factors contributing to technostress (among employees): work overload, job insecurity, and complexity were also identified. HR managers need to focus their efforts on the integration of emerging technologies with the proposed utilitarian benefits supposed to accrue from them.
The emerging requisite technical skills are 11 expertise in big data analytics, programming, robotics, and so on. The organization needs to implement strategic manpower development measures deploying dynamic capabilities involving the up-gradation of skills and knowledge management. The skill, knowledge, and performance gaps can be bridged by designing meaningful training programs using tools like ADDIE.
The IS managers can share the potential benefits and complementary facilitation with the employees for a smoother transition into I4.0. AI-based technological interventions need to be implemented at a different pace in start-up firms while the traditional organizational structure will need to have a step-wise diffusion of technological interventions.
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Since the job profiles are changing, hence a need for different skill sets and technological competencies. It calls for multifaceted organizational support in the form of developing soft skills such as communication skills, problem-solving skills, team building and teamwork skills, learning skills, analytical thinking skills (helps information comprehension and evaluation and sound decision making), conflict resolution skills, time management skills (enhancing efficiency and effectiveness), creative thinking skills, interpersonal skills and leadership skills (helps in motivation and inspiring people to work for a common cause).
Organizations can implement AI-based decision-making either in a sequential or an aggregated manner. AI adoption and deployment are driven by employees’ attitudes (towards technology) and the infrastructure of the firm. Another factor having an impact is the level of intelligence and education of employees.
The organization has to deploy a sequential AI implementation procedure by first selecting data sources, followed by algorithms, and finally the training and deployment. The immense potential of virtual reality can also be explored for value-added training programs for existing and new manpower resources.
With the unlocking of the digital potential, I4.0 has affected the work styles and life of organizational human resources. Hence, employees need to understand to support them in the evolving socio-technical organizational relationships. This will result in improved work performance. The success of AI-driven systems lies in the symbiotic relationship between employees and AI machines. The organization can also design various interventions for identifying, managing, and preventing technostress.
For instance, certain modifications could be introduced in job-related demands, and then certain customized strategies could be used for individuals experiencing excessive stress. In addition, certain treatments could be recommended as a preventive measure for the onset of technostress.
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This research makes the unique contribution of establishing a qualitative hierarchy of prominent factors constituting unintended consequences, positive impacts, and technostress creators (among employees) of AI deployment in organizational processes.
The full research paper can be accessed here Malik, N., Tripathi, S. N., Kar, A. K., & Gupta, S. (2021). Impact of artificial intelligence on employees working in industry 4.0 led organizations. International Journal of Manpower, 43(2), 334-354. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-03-2021-0173