Human Resource Sustainability and Digital Transformation: Exploring the Role of Key Actors

Abstract

Digital transformation changes economy and society, makes significant changes in people’s life and can have both positive and negative consequences for individuals, organisations and society. To the success of digital transformation, the human factor is more important than the technology itself. This research survey focuses on the human perception of support needed from different actors for their adaptation towards digital transformation. The quantitative research in the form of a questionnaire survey was carried out using an online panel. The respondents for the questionnaire survey were adult people living in the Czech Republic (n = 1000 from generations Baby Boomers, X and Y). The questionnaire design was inspired by the OECD Risks That Matter Survey 2020. The research focuses on what role different actors play in addressing negative impacts of digital transformation. The findings show that the highest level of responsibility was given to the Czech government, followed by firms and public administration. Conversely, lower levels of accountability were attributed to nonprofit organisations and trade unions, but surprisingly also at the individual level. The findings further found no significant effect on the perception of responsibility of government, firms and public administration, nonprofit organisations and trade unions for gender, education, nature of work and type of generation. However, we identified differences among groups in their assessment of responsibility on an individual level. Findings are important for decision-makers that should be responsible for peoples’ transformation in the context of digital transformation.