An exploratory study into the connection between Industry 4.0 and workplace diversity

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has disrupted our traditional world of work through the introduction of advanced technology. The way in which workplace diversity in the form of age, gender, and education of people affect their ability to function in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era is largely unknown. The study aimed to explore the impact of Industry 4.0 on the workplace diversity traits of age, gender, and education in the South African workplace. An interpretivist study using a qualitative methodology was undertaken. Nineteen in-depth semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted online and face-to-face at three organisations in the Gauteng province. The results of the study showed that technology has removed mundane and repetitive tasks to simplify work and improve time of task completion in the workplace; however, the integration of robots into the workplace has raised concerns of increased job losses. The study further indicated that robots will not take over jobs completely but will require the workforce to be enhanced, thus calling for reskilling and upskilling of existing and future employees. Job roles will continue to change as technology is updated. The older generations are resistant to technological changes, but they should not be alienated because of their vast knowledge and experience. The younger generations embrace diversity, are flexible, innovative, and competitive. These characteristics allow for managers to utilise their strengths to drive the organisational goals and vision. Gender was not a determining factor as to which gender adapts better to technology. However, more males occupy senior positions in the three sample organisations as opposed to females, which points to gender inequality at higher levels in the sample organisations. A formal qualification is a good foundation to have; however, self-education through informal learning avenues can assist willing individuals to upskill themselves through online resources. There needs to be collaboration between the industry and universities to ensure better employability and training of graduates to convert theoretical knowledge into practical skills in order to solve real-world problems in the modern workplace. This study contributed to filling a gap in the literature by combining the Fourth Industrial Revolution with workplace diversity, focusing on the specific diversity traits of age, gender, and education. The findings were used to make recommendations to industry, government and theory. Industries who have employed Industry 4.0 technologies, can utilise this study to benchmark with other organisations to gain knowledge from different perspectives and to share their knowledge to manage their employees better. Government needs to encourage innovation, allow for investment into education and training around Industry 4.0, and update policies and other requirements as technology changes. The study will facilitate an understanding of how resources can be used to optimise the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on major organisations as well as the impact thereof on employees in the workplace. It is recommended that the organisations focus on the internal resources and utilise their resources better by means of the resource-based view.

Die Vierde Industriële Revolusie het ons tradisionele wêreld van werk ontwrig deur die bekendstelling van gevorderde tegnologie. Die manier waarop werkplekdiversiteit in die vorm van mense se ouderdom, geslag en opvoeding hulle vermoë beïnvloed om in die era van die Vierde Industriële Revolusie te funksioneer, is grootliks onbekend. Die studie het ten doel gehad om die impak van Industrie 4.0 op die werkplekdiversiteitseienskappe van ouderdom, geslag en opvoeding in die Suid Afrikaanse werkplek te verken. ’n Interpretivistiese studie is met behulp van ‘n kwalitatiewe metodologie onderneem. Negentien diepgaande semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en waarnemings is aanlyn en van aangesig tot aangesig gevoer by drie organisasies in die Gautengprovinsie. Die resultate van die studie het getoon dat tegnologie alledaagse en herhalende take verwyder het om werk te vereenvoudig en tyd van taakvoltooiing in die werkplek te verbeter; die integrasie van robotte in die werkplek het egter kommer oor verhoogde werkverliese laat ontstaan. Die studie het verder aangedui dat robotte nie werk heeltemal gaan oorneem nie, maar gaan vereis dat die arbeidsmag verbeter word, wat dus ’n beroep doen op heropleiding en vaardigheidsverbetering van bestaande en toekomstige werknemers. Werkrolle gaan aanhoudend verander soos tegnologie verbeter. Die ouer generasies bied weerstand teen tegnologiese veranderinge, maar hulle moet nie vanweë hulle uitgebreide kennis en ervaring vervreem word nie. Die jonger generasies aanvaar diversiteit, en hulle is buigsaam, innoverend en mededingend. Hierdie eienskappe laat bestuurders toe om hulle sterkpunte te gebruik om die organisasiedoelwitte en -visie te bevorder. Geslag was nie ’n bepalende faktor van watter geslag beter by tegnologie aanpas nie. Meer mans beklee egter senior posisies in die drie steekproeforganisasies in teenstelling met vroue, wat dui op geslagsongelykheid op hoër vlakke in die steekproeforganisasies. ’n Formele kwalifikasie is ’n goeie grondslag om te hê; selfopvoeding deur informele leerweë kan egter gewillige individue help om hulle vaardighede deur middel van aanlyn hulpbronne te verbeter. Daar moet samewerking wees tussen die bedryf en universiteite om beter indiensneembaarheid en opleiding van gegradueerdes te verseker om teoretiese kennis in praktiese vaardighede om te skakel en sodoende werklike probleme in die moderne werkplek op te los.

Hierdie studie vul ’n gaping in die literatuur deur die Vierde Industriële Revolusie met werkplekdiversiteit te kombineer, met die fokus op die spesifieke diversiteitseienskappe van ouderdom, geslag en opvoeding. Die bevindinge is gebruik om aanbevelings vir die bedryf, regering en teorie te maak. Bedrywe wat Industrie 4.0- tegnologieë gebruik, kan hierdie studie gebruik om saam met ander organisasies normbepaling te doen om verskillende perspektiewe te verkry en om hulle kennis te deel om hulle werknemers beter te bestuur. Die regering moet innovasie aanmoedig, voorsiening maak vir belegging in onderwys en opleiding rondom Industrie 4.0, en beleide en ander vereistes bywerk soos tegnologie verander. Die studie fasiliteer ’n begrip van hoe om hulpbronne in te span om die impak van die Vierde Industriële Revolusie op groot organisasies asook werknemers in die werkplek te optimaliseer. Daar word aanbeveel dat organisasies moet fokus op interne hulpbronne en dit beter benut deur middel van die hulpbrongebaseerde siening.

Inguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo iyiphazamisile indlela ebekufudulwa kusetyenzwa ngayo ngenxa yokungenisa ubuchwepheshe obukwizinga eliphezulu. Ifuthe leyantlukwano ekusebenzeni kwabantu ngokuphathelene nobudala, isini, nemfundo yabantu alaziwa gokubanzi kweli xesha leNguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo. Esi sifundo sasijolise ekuphandeni ngefuthe leNguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo kwiimpawu zeyantlukwano emsebenzini ngokumalunga nobudala, isini nemfundo kwiindawo zemisebenzi eMzantsi Afrika. Uphando lwalandela indlela yophando ngokutolika imeko nangokuzathuza. Iindliwano ndlebe ezilishumi elinethoba ezingaqingqwanga ngqongqo kunye neengqwalasela zaqhutywa ngeintanethi nangeendibano zobuso ngobuso kumaqumrhu amathathu kwiphondo laseGauteng. Iziphumo zesifundo sophando zabonisa ukuba ubuchwepheshe buyisusile imisetyenzana edikayo nephindaphindayo ukuze umsebenzi ube lula, kuphuculwe ixesha lokugqiba ekumele kwenziwe emsebenzini. Noxa kunjalo, ukufakwa kweerobhothi emsebenzini kudale inkxalabo yokuba kungakhula ukulahlekelwa yimisebenzi. Isifundo sibuye sabonisa ukuba iirobhothi azizukuyithatha ngokupheleleyo imisebenzi, into efunekayo kukuxhobisa abasebenzi abakhoyo nabaseza kuqeshwa ngezakhono ezitsha. Iindima zomsebenzi ziza kuthi gqolo zitshintsha njengokuba ubuchwepheshe buhambela phambili. Abantu abadala abazithakazeleli iinguqu zobuchwepheshe, kodwa oko akuthethi kuthi mabakheswe ngoba banolwazi namava abanzi. Abantu abatsha bona bayamkela lula iyantlukwano, bayithambele inguqu, ba nodla ekuqaleni izinto kwaye bayathanda ukukhuphisana. Ezi mpawu zivumela ukuba abaphathi basebenzise amandla abo ekuqhubeleni phambili iinjongo neembono zequmrhu. Isini asibanga luphawu oluphandwayo kuba asidlali ndima ingako kubuchwepheshe. Kwafumaniseka ukuba maninzi amadoda ngaphezu kwabafazi kwizikhundla eziphezulu kula maqumrhu mathathu kwakuphandwa kuwo, nto leyo ibonakalisa ukungalingani ngokwesini. Imfundo esesikweni sisiseko esomeleleyo, kodwa ukuzifundela umsebenzi kumaqonga angekho sesikweni kunakho ukumnceda umntu ofuna ukunyusa umgangatho wakhe njengokufunda kwimithombo yolwazi efumaneka kwi intanethi. Kudingeka intsebenziswano phakathi kwamashishini neeyunivesithi ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuqesheka okungcono nokuqeqeshwa kwabafundi abaphumeleleyo ekuthini baguqule ulwazi olusezincwadini lube lolunokusetyenziswa ngeenjongo zokusombulula iingxaki ezikhoyo kwiindawo zemisebenzi zale mihla. Esi sifundo sifake igxalaba ekuvaleni isikhewu kuluncwadi ngokudibanisa Inguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo kunye neyantlukwano emsebenzini, kugxininiswa kwiimpawu zeyantlukwano ezibubudala, isini nemfundo. Okufunyanisiweyo kwasetyenziselwa ukufaka iingcebiso kumaqumrhu ezoshishino, kurhulumente nakubaqulunqi beengcingane. Amaqumrhu asebenzisa ubuchwepheshe ekuthiwa bobeIndustry 4.0, angasisebenzisa esi sifundo ekuzithelekiseni namanye amaqumrhu ngenjongo yokufumana ulwazi oluvelelwe kwiinkalo ngeenkalo kunye nokwabelana ngolwazi ngenjongo yokuphucula indlela yokulawula abasebenzi. Urhulumente udinga ukukhuthaza umdla wokuziqalela, atyale imali emfundweni nakuqeqesho malinga neIndustry 4.0, kwaye aphucule imigaqo nkqubo nezinye iimfuno njengokuba ubuchwepheshe buguquguquka. Esi sifundo siza kuququzelela ukuqonda ukuba imithombo inokusetyenziswa njani ekomelezeni ifuthe leNguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo kumaqumrhu amakhulu nakubasebenzi. Kucetyiswa ukuba amaqumrhu aqwalasele imithombo yangaphakathi, ayisebenzise ngcono loo mithombo ngokuyibona ngenkalo yokuqonda esekelwe kwimithombo.