Executive Summary
Digital transformation in the workplace is an emerging trend where new technologies are used to revolutionize products, processes, and services. Such a transformation means that roles and tasks of workers have to change significantly since traditional knowledge and skill are no longer as useful as they used to be. In other words, the management of human resources has to be aligned with the changing nature of the workplace. HR managers have to develop the competencies and capabilities of workers through such functions as training and development. Additionally, corporate learning entails the acquisition, sharing, and application of knowledge, a process that can also be used to develop digital competencies. This research explores learning digitization, which has been described as the use of digital tools for corporate learning or training and development. Additionally, such issues as digital literacy and competencies have been described as the most basic requirement for learning digitization to be successful. The exploratory research gathers secondary data to make a case for further studies on this concept. Since HRM is responsible for matching skills with work requirements, the context of learning digitization in this study is taken to be that of HR practices.
Introduction
Research Background
Modern workplaces have been forced to adapt to the changes necessitated by such trends as digitization. According to Mugge et al. (2020, p. 27), digital transformation tends to reshape entire industries and segments, including retail, communications, agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing. Digital transformation becomes a major concern for senior management since the patterns can dictate the approaches and responses adopted by the companies. An important element that corporate leadership has to address is the resistance to change, especially considering that digitizing workplaces requires the implementation of major changes. In this case, human resource management (HRM) has a critical role to play in facilitating change. The rationale for this position is that human resource (HR) functions should be designed to support corporate objectives. In the context of digitization, such functions as recruitment help businesses implement digital transformation. In this case, the HR manager has to hire workers who have the relevant skills in such fields as information technology (IT) (Gilch and Sieweke, 2021, p. 53). The workers recruited need to have the knowledge and abilities that can help a firm digitize its products, processes, and services.
Since HRM has been placed at the center of digital transformation, there is a need to explore how the managers support the processes and the organizations. Some scholars often explore how HRM functions can be digitized while others focus on how HRM helps digitize the workplaces. For example, Chytiri (2019, p. 62) outlines the roles of an HR manager in the digital era and observes that HR managers have been required to change their roles. In this case, their functions shift from descriptive and diagnostic to prescriptive and predictive functions. In other words, HR managers’ roles change from operational to strategic, which means that recruitment, training and development, and retention of talent are done from the lens of a digitized environment. Therefore, the design and success of the digital workplace depend on the ability of the HR managers to facilitate the digitization process. Additionally, the accomplishment of the digital transformation depends on the effectiveness of the HR function in providing workers with the necessary skills.
The primary focus of this research will be learning digitization, a concept that can be described as the process of using digital tools for corporate learning to help workers fit within a digital workplace. In this regard, the role of the HRM function may also change drastically, especially in such roles as training and development. The competency of the personnel is the responsibility of the human resource managers. In this case, the HR managers have two options in ensuring that employees possess the necessary competencies and skills. The first, and perhaps the easiest, is through recruiting candidates already possessing the skills. Modern educational institutions have played a major role in ensuring digital literacy, especially through courses related to IT. According to Belolipetskaya et al. (2020, p. 1), the competencies of personnel in the digital economy include the use of digital technologies. For modern businesses, these skills have become a necessity, which means that the focus for HR managers changes during recruitment. Therefore, a manager can obtain talent from the labor market.
Alternatively, the HR managers can develop these skills and competencies in-house through training and development. This option is almost indispensable for modern companies since not all skills can be learned in school. Additionally, the technological changes are often rapid, which requires continuous improvements and updates in employee skills. Therefore, the skills and competencies have to be adapted and improved through such processes as training and development. The competency-based model of personnel management described by Belolipetskaya et al. (2020, p. 2) illustrates the need for training and development. These scholars argue that assessing academic achievement is not enough to ensure worker performance. Therefore, all employees selected must be able to adapt to changing environments. In this case, the changes are in the form of digital transformation, which means that continuous learning is a necessity for workers who seek to be effective in a digital workplace. Learning digitization is seen as the most effective strategy for ensuring that workers have the necessary skills, literacy, and competencies to make them effective in modern high-tech business environments.
Learning digitization is a concept that has not been extensively studied, which makes it relatively novel. Therefore, it can only be conceptualized from the current studies and by linking it to other concepts linking HRM to digital transformation. Therefore, the first step would be to define this concept and describe it as it fits within the broader discourse of human resource management. Additionally, learning digitization can be approached from several angles, all focusing on how it helps the HR managers deliver their mandate. In this research paper, learning digitization will be explored alongside such aspects as employee performance, training and development, roles and challenges of HR, and organizational learning. In this case, it is important to emphasize that learning digitization is conceptualized as the processes and practices involved in the acquisition of digital literacy, skills, and competencies.
Research Questions and Objectives
The primary objective of this research is to explore the concept of learning digitization and how it relates to various human resource elements and practices. Learning digitization is expected to present multiple challenges for HR since it is an emerging idea for which HR managers may not have a framework or template to help with implementation. This means that HR managers have to discern what is needed during learning digitization and provide an ideal environment for organizational learning. In this case, organizational learning is seen as the process in which workers gain new ideas regarding their work and the overall business environment to help them deliver their mandates. Therefore, this research will examine the relationship between learning digitization and corporate learning. Among the roles of the HR managers are training and development, which could include processes and practices that help workers learn. As such, digitization of learning could be implemented across the training programs designed by HR managers. This research will also examine learning digitization through training and development planning.
Lastly, knowledge, skills, and competencies are regarded as the basic requirement for an employee to effectively accomplish tasks. As mentioned earlier, HR managers are tasked with providing the organization with workers who possess the desired capabilities to help them perform. Learning digitization is perceived as a critical requirement for a digital workplace. This research will also seek to discern how learning digitization influences employee performances. The basic assumption across these objectives is that learning digitization is the best and most effective way that workers can accomplish their jobs in a digital workplace. Additionally, their digital literacy is critical for a firm to effectively implement digital transformation. The specific objectives of this study are as outlined below:
- To establish the effect of digitization of learning on organizational learning.
- To establish how learning digitization impacts training and development programs
- To explore the roles and challenges of HRM in learning digitization.
- To establish how learning digitization affects employee performance.
The research questions are also based on the objectives outlined above. In this case, the primary research question is how learning digitization influences various elements of HRM functions. To answer this question, the research explores employee performance, role, and challenges faced by human resource management, training and development programs, and organizational learning. The research objectives can be rephrased to form the research questions as outlined below:
- What is the impact of learning digitization on organizational learning?
- How does learning digitization affect training and development programs?
- What are the roles and challenges of HRM in learning digitization?
- How does learning digitization affect employee performance?
Literature Review
Theoretical Framework
The concept of digital transformation has been explored extensively as practitioners and scholars acknowledge the implications it has for the modern workplace. According to Kozanoglu and Abedin (2021, p. 1650), digital transformation entails a change in the structure of an organization, as well as the functions, processes, and business models. This change was caused by the adoption of digital technologies, including machine learning, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and in-memory computing. Such trends can be summarized using the term industry revolution (IR) 4.0, described by Khan et al. (2021, p. 1) as a new phase of the industrial revolution that targets automation, interconnectivity, real-time data, and machine learning. It is important to acknowledge that IR 4.0 is not just focused on investing in new technologies and resources for boosting efficiency. On the contrary, this revolution has broad implications on various aspects of human activities and their lives. In other words, the workers will need to have the necessary digital skills to help them accomplish tasks within such an environment.
The question of how digital skills are obtained has been ignored. Indeed, Kozanoglu and Abedin (2021, p. 1650) have observed that most studies on digitization pay more attention to external stakeholders and ignore the role of digital skills. These scholars also note the need for organizations to equip employees with such skills since they help them achieve organizational objectives. From these arguments, the theoretical foundations that manifest themselves include learning digitization as a responsibility for the HR managers. Additionally, training and development can be inferred from these arguments, which means that all these theoretical concepts are interrelated and that they should be explored alongside each other.
Therefore, the main theoretical element in this research is learning digitization as an element of the broader function of human resource management. The definitions for learning digitization are not available in the current literature. However, a broad description of this term, as will be used in this study, is that learning digitization involves learning or acquiring literacy, skills, knowledge, and competencies through the digital platforms. Learning digitization will be conceptualized as the process where the HRM implements digital processes, tools, and strategies to help workers with their organizational learning needs. Additionally, learning digitization seeks to help employees adapt to the digital workplace by improving their capabilities to handle modern technologies and accomplish tasks that have been redesigned to fit the digital environment. Corporate learning entails the capacity of a firm to acquire, apply, and share knowledge that improves both efficiency and competitive advantage. In this case, the knowledge is gathered and shared among workers to help them perform their tasks. A culture of organizational learning should effectively support digitization of learning by targeting digital skills.
Conceptual framework
A conceptual framework offers a visual expression of the expected relationship between the variables. The theoretical framework presented above has described some of the major variables that will feature in this research. The basic proposition is that learning digitization is a necessary practice that should be facilitated by the HR department. Therefore, the roles and functions of an HR manager should lead towards the outcomes of digitization of learning. Employee performance has also been outlined as one of the objectives. The proposition in this research is that performance is all about accomplishing tasks and achieving organizational objectives. It has been argued that only workers with the relevant skills can achieve objectives and effectively handle their jobs. Therefore, learning digitization is conceptualized as a tool for HR managers to boost the performance of workers in a digital environment. In this case, training and development, corporate learning, and HR initiatives help in learning digitization, which in turn helps boost employee performance. A simple visual representation of this conceptual framework is presented in Figure 1 below:
Review of Current Literature
Exploring literature for a novel concept is often challenging due to the lack of past studies. As mentioned earlier, the concept of learning digitization has not been defined in the literature. However, its description allows one to find materials that contain related themes and ideas that can help build a case for the research. The conceptual framework presented above also helps determine what literature to examine. In this case, all materials that discuss digital skills and competencies are valid, including those that explore the roles and challenges facing HR managers in developing these competencies. Most importantly, studies on how organizations use digital tools for knowledge management or training and development will present the most relevant literature on this subject. Multiple studies have explored these ideas and how they relate to each other. Building digital competencies is becoming a common theme, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many companies to adopt technologies that promote remote working. According to Bike, et al. (2021, p. 2), the application of ICT is becoming a norm across the globe in workplaces and learning. The digitization of jobs has far-reaching consequences for workers, who must adapt to remain relevant. In this case, building digital competencies is the ultimate solution.
Acquiring digital literacy is a role played by HR managers. However, some scholars observe that educational institutions have a critical role to play since they are responsible for producing candidates with particular sets of skills to be applied in the industries (Seufert and Meier, 2017, p. 27). Learning and development is the framework provided for learners to acquire digital competencies. In this framework, three changes in the learning processes are recommended. First, the competencies required in the business world have to be clarified and developed by the learning institutions. Second, learning and development need to broaden its scope to facilitate and support non-traditional and informal learning initiatives throughout the organization. Lastly, the learning and development itself needs to transform to effectively support digitization processes and objectives. Learning and development in the workplace can be equated to corporate learning defined earlier as the acquisition and sharing of knowledge. Therefore, the basic implication of the study by Seufert and Meier (2017, p. 27) is that a deviation from traditional learning is critical in developing digital competencies. Additionally, higher education can support businesses in supporting the acquisition of digital literacy.
The need for corporate learning has been extensively studied where the consensus among scholars is that knowledge should not be fragmented. The rationale is that fragmented knowledge, ideas, solutions to problems, and experiences will only be accessible by a fraction of the organizational members, which possess critical challenges. According to Ngereja and Hissein (2022, p. 902), the need for digital transformation is unceasing, which means that businesses need to facilitate learning in the digitization context. Preconditions for learning in a digital context have also been outlined. For example, a new culture is needed since digitization forced a business to rethink an entire workplace. Such a rethink comprises the development of new tasks, new skills, competencies, and structures. All these elements require workers to learn about them, otherwise, they can become obsolete in the digital workplace. Therefore, corporate learning is an element that has to be supported by top management due to its implications on the success and competitiveness of a business. This support is critical in the digitization context since new skills and competencies have to be developed from scratch, assuming that the current workforce comprises employees hired before digitization.
Organizational learning has also been considered a critical success factor for companies since it facilitates employee and organizational performance. Similar links exist when the learning entails building digital competencies for work in a digital workplace. As argued by Seufert and Meier (2017, p. 27), the learning process has to be transformed for it to accommodate new ideas. A similar position is held by Alkaraeen and Al-Ashaab (2021, p. 446), who observe that organizational learning also needs to be digitized by creating the necessary infrastructure and algorithms that support new digital services. It can be argued that learning digitization can be achieved using proper digital tools that can help in gathering and sharing knowledge among the workers. Concerning performance, Alkaraeen and Al-Ashaab (2021, p. 447) find that learning needs to align digital innovations with corporate goals. In other words, the digital skills acquired should be designed to meet the requirements of the employer, which should drive both organizational and employee performance. In this scenario, performance is simply conceptualized as the ability to meet objectives and accomplish the tasks.
Human resource management is a key driver of digital transformation. A study by Van den Berg et al. (2020, p. 1) finds that companies engaging in this process have to engage their workers. In this engagement, it can be argued that the main focus is on building capabilities and digital literacy. If HR is a facilitator of digital transformation, it can be argued that HRM also plays a critical role in learning digitization. This role involves training and development of personnel to develop the skills needed to work in a digital workplace (Budyakova and Tsarenok, 2019, p. 2). Tapping into the labor market is not sufficient to provide a business with all the skills. Even though the role that educational institutions can play has been outlined, it is hardly the case that the skills gained through education are sufficient for an individual to fit perfectly in a workplace. Therefore, HRM has to determine what skills are present in the candidates, assess the skills needed by the organization, and develop programs to bridge the gaps. This is one of the greatest challenges that HRM faces in digital transformation.
Training and development comprise a theme that has only been scarcely mentioned in most of the scholarly materials found. However, it is important to express that this is one of the critical functions of HRM that seeks to match worker skills and organizational demands. Learning digitization is not a task that can be left to the employees to accomplish by themselves. Additionally, the main role of training and development is to keep the worker skills updated since the work environment is dynamic. According to Belolipetskaya et al. (2020, p. 7), many organizations engage workers in making such critical decisions as to the training and professional development of workers. It can be argued that the digital transformation has already posed critical challenges for HR managers, which means that the HR departments cannot afford to face extreme resistance from workers unwilling to adapt to a digital workplace. Training and development can be perceived as an alternative to replacing the entire labor force with one that is suited for a digital workplace.
Overall, the current research has painted a vivid picture of learning digitization in the workplace. Additionally, clear links between the variables can also be discerned from interpreting the findings and arguments presented in the available literature. In summary, learning digitization is a critical necessity for digital workplaces since a lack of skills and competencies means that tasks cannot be performed and goals cannot be achieved. Even before the need for learning digitization emerged, the companies had already recognized the usefulness of corporate learning in acquiring and sharing ideas and knowledge. This process keeps workers fully aware of their expectations and develops their competencies and capabilities. Learning digitization can be conceptualized as a form of corporate learning where the specific focus is on use of digital tools and platforms in the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. It is the role of HRM to ensure that this learning takes place since the only alternative is to replace an entire workforce.
Research Gaps
Learning digitization is a concept that has been grossly ignored in the literature, which means that only inferences are possible. This is even though all scholars agree that digital competencies have to be built by employers seeking digital transformation. In this regard, very little is known regarding how companies, especially their HR departments, can be implemented using digital tools, strategies, and programs to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Therefore, this is a major gap in research that needs urgent deliberate efforts to fill. Such trends as IR 4.0 have been shown to cause massive workplace disruptions as a result of automation and digitization of products, services, and processes. The current studies only focus on exploring how HR facilitates digital transformation, where recruitment and selection functions are deemed to be the basis of HRM’s contribution towards digitization. However, the roles of HR go beyond recruitment and selection since relying on these functions may result in a company replacing entire workforces. Therefore, there is a major gap in the literature regarding how HR managers and departments facilitate improvements in the skills and competencies of workers through such functions as training and development in a digital environment.
Another major gap involves how digitization of learning influences training and development and facilitates the acquisition of digital skills. Similarly, the current literature fails to connect or embed the concepts of corporate learning and digitization. Only a few efforts have been made to explore how corporate learning can be digitized, which means that the learning of digital skills is not explored. The links between the four variables outlined in the conceptual framework have not been examined in the literature. This means that insignificant data is showing how learning digitization helps boost organizational and employee performance. All these gaps have emanated from the few and narrowly-focused studies on HRM practices and digitization. These gaps can be filled by offering a broad perspective in the form of a general concept, in this case, learning digitization. At this stage, this is a new idea that needs to be understood from multiple perspectives, including its relations with the selected HRM practices and outcomes.
Research Methodology
The focus of this chapter is to present the methods used in the collection and analysis of the data. The general approach to the study is that the topic is relatively novel, which means that the priority is to make a case for future research. Therefore, this research will be a qualitative study characterized by the use of qualitative textual data that does not require enumerated or treated statistically. The rationale for selecting qualitative methods is that it allows the researcher to gather as much descriptive data as possible regarding the research phenomenon. As will be discussed under research design, the main focus is to explore the subject in terms of what data is available.
Research Design: Exploratory and Descriptive
Researching social problems in a workplace environment requires the right design, which dictates how the data is gathered and analyzed. In this case, a mix of exploratory and descriptive designs is selected due to the nature of the research problem. According to Swaraj (2019, p. 66), an exploratory research design is best applicable in scenarios where the problem is not well-known and where the focus is on informing future research. Learning digitization is considered to be a novel concept that has not appeared in the literature. As indicated in the literature review, most of the current studies have examined the role of HRM in the digitization process and other concepts revolving around digital transformation. The fact that learning digitization has not been addressed means that the first attempt on the subject is to lay a foundation that can be used by future studies.
Descriptive design is selected on the basis that it allows researchers to offer a deeper understanding of the research problem. This design seeks to obtain as much information as possible to describe a situation, phenomenon, or population. In this case, the phenomenon is learning digitization, which needs to be described using as many details as possible to help build familiarity with the concept. In this case, several underlying aspects will be outlined, and details provided based on what can be found in the literature.
Data Collection
Secondary data will be collected for this research, which will then be subjected to a thematic analysis as will be discussed in the section below. Considering the novelty of the research topic, the main challenge for the researcher will be obtaining accurate data that can effectively answer the research questions. The best source of secondary data for an exploratory study is arguably previous studies that have attempted to address the topic or related concepts where remote links can be observed. Therefore, a systematic literature review will be the primary data collection tool used in this study. The rationale for this method is that it allows the researcher to explore a wide body of scholarly materials systematically and chronologically. Additionally, the processes involved in a systematic literature review allow the researcher not only to observe the data but also to interpret meanings embedded in the data. For a novel topic, a systematic review of the literature makes it possible to interpret remotely related concepts to fit them within the framework of the proposed research.
A systematic literature review is accomplished in several steps that cover the search and evaluation of the data. Such a procedure has been outlined by Xiao and Watson (201, p. 94). First, the inclusion criteria are determined for the materials used in the review. In this case, all sources have to be peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years. Additionally, all the research must be aligned in one or more ways with the current research topic and all the themes or concepts discussed under it. The second step will be a literature search based on the criteria above. The researcher explores multiple sources, including online databases and repositories where peer-reviewed materials can be obtained.
The third step is where screening for inclusion is conducted to eliminate all materials that do not comply with the criteria. The screening will involve consulting abstracts to determine the nature and scope of the study. Further reading of the materials may be needed when the researcher is unsure if the materials are right for use. A quality assessment is conducted in the fourth step, which involves a detailed examination of the materials and their content to determine their relevance to the subject, validity, and credibility. Iterations will be done for each of the themes identified for the research. Lastly, data extraction is undertaken through a process of breaking down the data into subtopics and sub-themes to be discussed under each theme.
Data Analysis
Qualitative research is increasingly becoming valued and recognized by scholars. Therefore, there is a need to conduct these studies rigorously and methodically to help derive useful and meaningful results (Nowell et al., 2017, p. 1). Thematic analysis is selected as the best method for analyzing the data collected through the systematic literature review. According to Nowell et al. (2017, p. 2), thematic analysis is a qualitative data analysis method used for identifying, analyzing, organizing, describing, and reporting themes contained within a data set. In this study, the themes have been predetermined by outlining the research questions, each of which covers a broad idea to be narrowed down using the data available. In this case, the thematic analysis will be used to extract the data relating to a specified theme and offer a description and explanation of how each of the data pieces fit within the theme. The need for coding will be eliminated by using predetermined themes. However, tabulations will be used to summarize the outcomes of research in each of the themes.
Data Findings
Learning digitization is a concept that has been simply interpreted as the use of digital tools for organizational learning efforts. As outlined in the background and literature review, modern firms are increasingly becoming digital where most of the jobs and tasks are accomplished electronically. A key point to note is that digitization and automation have been used differently, and the difference should be outlined for the sake of the findings presented in this section. While automation focuses on the automatic execution of tasks, digitization involves converting analog information into digital formats, including how the data is captured and analyzed. As the research questions and objectives insinuate, learning digitization and its effects on various HR and organizational functions and outcomes can be categorized into several themes. These include the impact of digitization of learning on employee performance, HRM roles and challenges in learning digitization, the impact of learning digitization on training and development programs, and the influence of learning digitization on organizational learning culture. The data gathered is summarized under each of these themes, which explanations will be presented in the discussion section.
Organizational Learning
Digitization of learning can have positive influences on organizational learning processes. Current data shows that digitization of learning has such implications as new learning processes. For example, firms have to rethink their learning programs, including coaching, mentoring, and training. It is also important to highlight that there have been no direct references in literature to the relationship between learning digitization and corporate learning processes. However, inferences can be made from multiple studies that depict these relationships. A summary of the findings and concepts under the theme of organizational learning is presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Role of digitization of learning in corporate learning
From the table presented above, the findings under the theme of organizational learning have described learning digitization as the acquisition of digital skills and competencies. The general idea is that companies across all industries understand the importance of knowledge development and sharing, and corporate learning practices have become a critical part of the HR function. Most importantly, digitization of learning requires HR managers to implement new tools, practices, courses, and programs designed to impact digital capabilities among the workers. Additionally, educational institutions are helping in this regard by initiating new media courses as necessitated by the growing levels of digitization within modern workplaces.
Learning Digitization and Employee Performance
The impact of learning digitization on employee performance should be easier to explore. In the context of an increasingly digitized workplace, the assumption is that employees who can work well within a digital environment will perform better than those who lack digital literacy. As mentioned earlier, learning digitization is a process of acquiring digital skills and competencies, which means that the theme of employee performance can be approached from several angles. Therefore, the findings summarized in Table 2 below will focus on digital competencies, skills, and literacy and how they affect worker performance. The rationale is that the outcome of learning digitization is a digitally competent, skilled, and literate workforce.
Table 2: Impacts of learning digitization on employee performance
The summary in Table 2 above leads to a single conclusion: learning digitization is the only way to improve the performance levels of workers in a digitized workplace. The theme is not directly addressed by previous studies, which means that inferences had to be made. In this case, all the materials explored indicated that improving digital competencies, skills, and literacy makes it possible for workers to perform better in a digital workplace. Therefore, the basic assumption across all the material is that employees without the relevant digital skills cannot perform, which means that the acquisition of such skills is deemed to be an automatic indicator and determinant of employee performance.
HRM Roles and Challenges in Learning Digitization
The role and challenges of learning digitization is a subject that has not attracted adequate attention. Much of the available focus is majorly on how HR managers can help in the implementation of digitization in the workplace. With this gap, it is difficult to determine the main challenges and the role of HRM in learning digitization due to the lack of a direct link between the two concepts. In this case, a basic assumption is made that the role of HR managers remains to provide the companies with competent workers who can help a firm achieve its goals and objectives. In learning digitization, it will be assumed that HR managers are responsible for training and development programs, which should incorporate or cover learning digitization. A summary of the findings regarding this theme as inferred from the current literature will be summarized in Table 3.
Table 2: Summary of roles and challenges of HR in learning digitization
Learning digitization is a role that falls within the human resources function of organizations. It can be assumed that learning digitization is a role similar to personnel development or training where the focus is on building digital competencies. The available data does not show a direct link between learning digitization and the role of human resource management. Therefore, the fact that HR is responsible for all issues surrounding the recruitment and management of the workforce means that learning digitization is embedded with the overall functions of human resource management. The data summarized above has shown that HR implements all programs and initiatives regarding learning digitization.
Training and Development Programs and Learning Digitization
Many training and development initiatives across corporations focus on updating and renewing the skills and capability of workers to help them remain relevant to the changing workplaces. In this case, learning digitization is held in the same regard and conceptualization as training and development since both concepts seek the same outcome. In this theme, the focus is on determining how learning digitization is affected by the training and development programs within the workplace. The general assumption is that the nature, design, and scope of the training program influence the success of digitization of learning. Other forms of relationships between learning digitization and training and development will also be explored, including how the training programs are influenced by the strategic goals of learning digitization. The summary of the findings on this theme is summarized in Table 4.
Table 4: Training and development programs and learning digitization
The findings summarized in Table 4 exhibit a broad conclusion that learning digitization is a process that requires employers to implement the necessary training and development programs. Additionally, organizational learning may be a life-long or continuous process experienced by employers, which means that digitization of learning may display similar characteristics. Overall, training plays a critical role in learning digitization since the programs can be designed to incorporate digital literacy. Therefore, the human resource managers must alter the scope and objectives of training practices to incorporate learning digitization.
Discussion and Conclusions
Discussion
Learning digitization is a new concept whose implications for HRM functions necessitate further study on the subject. The thematic analysis used to analyze the secondary data reveals that there are no direct links between learning digitization and the specified variables. However, all interpretations of the secondary data reveal a singular observation – digital workplaces require digitally competent and literate workers. In this case, the findings have revealed that businesses implement deliberate measures to improve the competencies of the workers. Therefore, learning digitization is a real issue that should not be ignored in research.
The findings entirely support the discussion presented in the literature review. For example, digital literacy is perceived as a responsibility of the HR managers. In this case, such scholars as Seufert and Meier (2017, p. 27) provide a framework that can be adopted by HR departments in conjunction with educational institutions. Schools teach skills that do not always match the requirements of the industry. The findings have indicated that even though the major role of HRM is to recruit and select competent workers, the digital transformation poses a critical challenge where the recruitment may mean replacing entire workforces Van den Berg et al. (2020, p. 1). In this case, learning digitization is perceived as the process in which HR managers implement strategies, tools, and processes that allow the workers to gain digital skills to eliminate the need to fire current and hire new workers.
The research gaps expressed in the literature review chapter have been confirmed by the findings. The outcome of the thematic analysis is a simple description of the main ideas and a general conclusion that interprets and explains what the researchers mean and the observations they make. Across all the four themes, there has not been a single direct reference to or mention of the term learning digitization. However, the definition and description of this concept make it possible to make inferences from the available literature. Learning digitization is described as the process and practice involving the acquisition of digital literacy. Other terms used to refer to digital literacy include digital skills, knowledge, and competencies. Therefore, all literature and observations that target any of these terms have been used to imply learning digitization. For example, Bikse, et al. (2021, p. 2) explore the need to build digital competencies to allow employees to work in the new digital workplaces implemented as a result of COVID-19. All other materials that discuss building digital competencies have been used to infer learning digitization.
If the gap is confirmed by the findings, then the question that arises is what the study has achieved in terms of filling this gap. As explained in the methodology section, this study acknowledges the novelty of the concept of learning digitization. Therefore, an exploratory research design was adopted with the main purpose of gaining insights into and familiarity with a phenomenon that has not been studied or to which very little is known. Therefore, the research gaps have been filled by providing data on the subject of learning digitization and the relationships between the variables. However, it is important to acknowledge that the secondary data and the inferences made have managed to make a solid case that learning digitization has been hinted at without further details. General insights have been provided, which means that there is a starting point for any future research based on this concept.
The research questions have also been answered and the objectives achieved. In this case, organizational learning is shown to play a critical role in facilitating learning digitization. The main observations on this theme are made by Seufert and Meier (2017, p. 27). These scholars state that learning and development courses should “clarify competencies required for successfully doing business in a digital economy (knowledge, skills, and attitudes of both leaders and employees.” This quotation shows that organizational learning is facilitated by both HR managers and workers. In terms of training and development, the findings indicate that only a few references to this theme have been made in the current literature. However, the need for training and development for building digital competencies has been expressed by Belolipetskaya et al. (2020, p. 7). These scholars state that HR managers have often “…had the authority, or at least acted as consultants in making decisions regarding training and professional development of employees…” (Belolipetskaya et al., 2020, p. 7). This quote not only proves that training and development are necessary for learning digitization but also highlights the role and challenges faced by HR managers.
The theme of employee performance in learning digitization has also been inferred from the current literature. The basic assumption is that possessing the necessary skills and competencies allows workers to perform their jobs. According to Khan et al. (2021), digital literacy or competency can be described as “the capability to use technology to resolve problems and perform complex tasks (p. 4). Therefore, learning digitization is a key requirement for workers in a digital workplace since it is the only way they can perform. The links between performance and learning digitization have also been inferred from other materials as summarized in Table 2. The general idea is that HR managers can equip workers with digital competencies as a means of improving their performance.
With the findings presented above, it can be argued that learning digitization appears to be a broad concept that encompasses such HR practices as training and development and corporate learning. The links to performance have been made to complete a conceptual model based on the proposition that there has to be an outcome associated with the acquisition of skills. Performance seems to be one of the most obvious outcomes rationalized by the notion that performance is tied to the skills and capabilities of workers. Learning digitization can be used as a conceptual tool for examining all practices involved in the acquisition and application of digital skills.
Conclusion
The purpose of the research was to examine the concept of learning digitization and how it related to the selected HR concepts. Four themes have been studied: employee performance, corporate learning, roles and challenges of HR, and training and development. The findings and their discussion led to several major conclusions. First, learning digitization can be described as the set of practices and processes involved in the acquisition and application of digital technologies. From this perspective, training and development and organizational learning initiatives have a direct relationship with learning digitization since they all involve updating worker skills to fit within the digital workplace. Second, learning digitization can be used as a conceptual model for examining all practices revolving around the digitization of workers’ skills and competencies. In this model, practices, tools, and strategies for improving skills can be used as independent variables. Additionally, the outcomes of learning digitization can be used as dependent variables, one of which is employee performance.
Another major conclusion is on the need for further exploration of learning digitization. The findings indicate that digital transformation in businesses often comes as a necessity due to such trends as IR 4.0. In this case, it can be argued that more trends and emerging issues will be observed in the future, all revolving around how workers adapt their skills to fit in a digital workplace. The indirect inferences should be replaced with real observed primary data.
Theoretical/Academic Contributions
The theoretical and academic contributions of this study include an identification of a potential discourse and stream of research that deviates from current scholarly approaches. The research has successfully conceptualized the idea of learning digitization as it applies to the selected HR concepts. Therefore, new primary research can be conducted to offer a better definition of the term learning digitization and its core attributes. Additionally, the research reveals that there is a major research gap due to the focus on external issues in the digital transformation and the general lack of interest in how the external stakeholders are affected by the digitization of modern workplaces. Arguably, the first stakeholders to be affected by digitization are workers whose jobs have to change to reflect the digitization path taken by the companies. This research has made a critical contribution in aligning these effects of digitization on the skills and competencies of workers. Overall, the current study serves as a foundation for future inquiry on the subject and as a first attempt to conceptualize learning digitization as the result of organizational learning and training and development initiatives of the HR department.
Managerial/Practical/Policy Contributions
The main managerial implication focuses on the role of HR managers in learning digitization. From a policy and practical perspective, the HR managers will be responsible for developing programs and practices that allow workers to gain digital competencies that allow them to perform their jobs. Policies can also be developed based on the findings of this study. For example, HR policies surrounding training and development can be formulated such that they cover digital literacy. Similarly, recruitment and selection policies can be based on the findings that indicate that digital skills are a necessity for a digital workplace. Therefore, this research can be used by managers as a framework or reference point for undertaking their duties.
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