Purpose – This study explores the challenges posed by digital transformation in the food sector, focusing on the strategic role of human resources (HR) as enablers of technological change. Using the theoretical lens of organisational rent, it analyses how sustainability-oriented – particularly socially oriented – HR practices facilitate digital adoption and enhance organisations’ economic and social performance. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a qualitative single-case methodology, the research focuses on Geldi S.p.A., an Italian family-owned small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the food service sector, distinguished by an HR-driven approach to digital transformation. The analysis draws on primary data – semi-structured interviews with Geldi’s HR Manager and the Executive Director of the Abruzzo-Molise Food Bank, plus informal conversations with several employees – and on secondary data (recent sustainability reports, corporate websites, official social-media channels, and press coverage) to examine the interplay between implemented digital technologies and HR management practices. Findings – Digital transformation in food-sector organizations often encounters cultural resistance, skill shortages, and operational strain. Geldi addresses these barriers through a participatory, bottom-up strategy that leverages social-sustainability initiatives to foster employee engagement, thereby facilitating technology integration while improving organisational climate and economic–social performance. Originality – The study presents a human-centred model of digital transformation in which the HR function assumes a proactive, strategic role, enriching the literature on food-sector digital transformation and the emerging field of social sustainability. It advances theoretical knowledge by integrating the organisational rent perspective with Intellectual Capital and Resource-Based View frameworks. By embedding sustainability principles into HRM and mobilising intellectual capital across human, structural, and relational dimensions, the study demonstrates how organisational rent can be generated through socially sustainable practices.
EMPOWERING CHANGE FROM WITHIN: A HUMAN-CENTERED APPROACH TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN AN ITALIAN FOOD SECTOR SME
Berardi L.;
2025-01-01
Abstract
Purpose – This study explores the challenges posed by digital transformation in the food sector, focusing on the strategic role of human resources (HR) as enablers of technological change. Using the theoretical lens of organisational rent, it analyses how sustainability-oriented – particularly socially oriented – HR practices facilitate digital adoption and enhance organisations’ economic and social performance. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a qualitative single-case methodology, the research focuses on Geldi S.p.A., an Italian family-owned small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the food service sector, distinguished by an HR-driven approach to digital transformation. The analysis draws on primary data – semi-structured interviews with Geldi’s HR Manager and the Executive Director of the Abruzzo-Molise Food Bank, plus informal conversations with several employees – and on secondary data (recent sustainability reports, corporate websites, official social-media channels, and press coverage) to examine the interplay between implemented digital technologies and HR management practices. Findings – Digital transformation in food-sector organizations often encounters cultural resistance, skill shortages, and operational strain. Geldi addresses these barriers through a participatory, bottom-up strategy that leverages social-sustainability initiatives to foster employee engagement, thereby facilitating technology integration while improving organisational climate and economic–social performance. Originality – The study presents a human-centred model of digital transformation in which the HR function assumes a proactive, strategic role, enriching the literature on food-sector digital transformation and the emerging field of social sustainability. It advances theoretical knowledge by integrating the organisational rent perspective with Intellectual Capital and Resource-Based View frameworks. By embedding sustainability principles into HRM and mobilising intellectual capital across human, structural, and relational dimensions, the study demonstrates how organisational rent can be generated through socially sustainable practices.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
