Moving towards Sustainable Development in Industry 5.0

…Implications for HR Practitioners

Written by Dr Sulaiman Atiku

The technological innovations propelling Industry 4.0 have revolutionised business operations in developed and developing countries. In recent times, the need for business process improvement for economic sustainability has dictated the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) networks, automation, and robotics. The proliferation of such technologies in Industry 4.0 often dehumanises the workforce, thereby contributing to the high unemployment rate in developing countries. Overreliance on such technological innovations for continuous business process improvement and economic sustainability with less concern for other pillars of sustainability is against the principle of sustainable development advocated by the United Nations. The other pillars of sustainability are environmental, human, and social sustainability.

This article offers HR implications for an effective transition into Industry 5.0 and a sustainable economy.

Adding value to social and economic sustainability

The sustainability issues in Industry 4.0 could be addressed using the ecological modernisation model, which suggests the need for responsible business management practices to promote green creativity and eco-innovation and support both short-term and long-term economic sustainability without compromising environmental and social sustainability. Ecologically sustainable development puts equitable considerations into short-term and long-term economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Therefore, HR practitioners are expected to develop HR strategies, policies, and procedures for sustainable development in Industry 5.0. The reason is not farfetched, HR practices in recent years have gone beyond adding economic value to the business; they should add value to environmental and social sustainability in developing countries. Beyond strategic human resource management (HRM) practices, there are sustainable HR interventions.

To achieve responsible business solutions, there is a need for specific interventions to promote employee green creativity for eco-innovation. HR practises should simultaneously gear towards economic viability, being environmentally friendly (eco-innovation), and being socially responsible (Society 5.0) for sustainable development in developing countries.

Rehumanising process improvement

Delivering sustainable values in Industry 5.0 involves rehumanising the business process for sustainability. Industry 5.0 seeks to rehumanise business process improvement, currently dominated by automation, robotics, and other smart machines, or AI. The proposition towards sustainable development in Industry 5.0 suggests adding human, environmental, and social sustainability into the equation, primarily dominated by technological innovation for economic sustainability. Hence, HR has a role in managing both digital and human labour for sustainable development in developing economies. For example, a country with over 40% youth unemployment needs to manage both digital and human labour appropriately. We cannot use technology designed for a developed country with an ageing population and a less than 5% youth unemployment rate in an economy with a 40% unemployment rate. In a nutshell, agile HR practitioners in Africa should consider the convergent and divergent issues affecting sustainability when managing digital and human labour for sustainable development in Industry 5.0 because context and realities matter in social and management sciences. This involves capacity building and developing specific HR strategies, policies, and procedures for sustainable development in Africa.