The human resources and knowledge management integrated role in Industry 4.0/5.0: a Human-Centric Operations Management framework

Paper aims – This paper aims to identify aspects of Human Resources (HR) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the context of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), to propose a research agenda to support a knowledge-based production management, effective knowledge retention and sharing, and support I4.0 adoption. Originality – Mainly focusing on I4.0 technology issues, the related literature does not explore the impacts on people. This paper discusses how people, organization and society are affected and proposes a research agenda to study HR and KM within I4.0. Research method – A Systematic Literature Review was conducted in 80 papers relating HR and KM and I4.0 implementation, focusing on the human role and required competencies for I4.0. Main findings – The research agenda is organized in a framework including Society (Context and Sustainability), People (Workers and Managers), Organizations (Production and Service), Management Practices (HRM and Lean Process), and KM & Learning. Implications for theory and practice – The better understanding of workers’ roles, KM and HR practices in the I4.0 contributes to the theoretical debate about promoting knowledge creation and sharing, new HR policies and decision-making. The findings provide theoretical contributions for human adaptation to I4.0, and practical contributions for managers dealing with I4.0.