Are managers ready for HRM 4.0?: the potential role of blockchain technology in HRM

Abstract

As most professions, the field of Human Resources, henceforth HR, has changed considerably over time. To the best of my knowledge, no previous research has been made about the effects of blockchain technology into the HR field, from the perspective of ethics. This research will therefore aim to contribute to the existing literature about blockchain technology and HR by exploring whether managers are ready for new technological implementations, along with a broad matter of ethics behind the implementation. A qualitative and exploratory research design using semi-structured interviews was adopted in order to gain more knowledge with respect to this topic. The paper uses a model from scratch that Business Ethics is the umbrella, due to the reason that ethics have the main role when talking about HR. The research provides insights into the synthesis of blockchain technology and HR managers and how their tasks may threaten the privacy, confidentiality or security of the organisation or the people working in it. The main findings of this paper were that managers are thrilled that an existing technology could help them automate some steps that need more time. However, at the same time, they are not willing to compromise the security, confidentiality and privacy. Therefore, the implementation of blockchain is going to be a rather slow process. It is hoped that the findings of this research will further contribute to the field of HR.