Positive transformation towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution: empirical evidence from a technology company

Abstract

This article explores the question of how organizations can transform constructively and positively towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). It presents insights into the state of the art on 4IR, positive psychology movements PP1.0 and PP2.0 and particularly on German organizations in the 4IR within the South African context. The study uses a qualitative research approach and presents findings from a study conducted with 16 managers across top, middle and lower management levels in a German engineering organization, based in South Africa, operating in Southern Africa. Findings, discussion, conclusions and recommendations provide insights into emerging themes on the 4IR from perspectives that take the context of discourses on the 4IR in developed and developing countries into account. Findings show the importance of five main themes when transforming into the 4IR: (1) Employee management; (2) Innovative technological and systemic change; (3) Work organization; (4) Environment and (5) Network and cooperation. Human communication and connectivity and a balanced human–machine interaction seem to build the core framework for constructive socio-technological change and a meaningful work environment. Thereby, a focus on the positive transformation requires working through the challenges and dark sides of the 4IR as well as a contextual and culture-specific approach to finally create a meaningful, healthy and optimal functioning work environment for the employees.

Keywords:

• Positive psychology (PP1.0
• PP2.0)
• Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
• human communication
• human connection
• balanced human-machine interaction
• technological advancement
• developing country
• Germany
• South Africa

Acknowledgements

The authors would kindly like to thank the organization and particularly the CEO of this organization for participating in our research study. Further, our thanks go to our research participants who were sharing their views and knowledge openly. The authors also thank the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, and in particularly the Head of Department, Prof. Dr. Freddie Crous, for the support to conduct the study, particularly for financing the transcriptions of the interviews. We also extend our thanks to Ruth Coetzee for transcribing our interviews professionally.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Table 1. Employee management.

Table 2. Innovative technological and systemic change.

Table 3. Work organization.

Table 4. Environment.

Table 5. Network and cooperation.

Notes

1 Citations will only be given for a maximum of the first three most referred to codes of each theme due to word count limitations.

2 Numbers in brackets indicate frequency of statements: (75) means 75 statements out of 16 interviews.