Human capital in digital transformation: a systematic review perspective

Abstract

Organizations seeking to improve performance, customer experience, and remain competitive in a rapidly changing and technology-driven environment must undoubtedly implement digital transformation initiatives. Despite large investments, many digital transformations do not achieve their goals, with human capital–related factors frequently identified as critical constraints. Human capital encompasses a broad and interrelated set of factors, making its evaluation in digital transformation contexts particularly complex, yet essential. Although prior research recognizes human capital as a pivotal resource in digital transformation scenarios, a systematic and integrated understanding of how it is conceptualized, assessed, and empirically examined remains limited. Using the SPAR-4-SLR protocol and TCCM framework, this systematic literature review addresses this gap by synthesizing and structuring prior research on human capital assessment research in digital transformations implementation. It systematically analyses the theoretical frameworks adopted, the organizational contexts in which empirical research is conducted, the variables and levels of analysis used to operationalize human capital and related outcomes, and the methodological approaches applied. The findings provide an integrated overview of current scientific knowledge and highlight gaps in research across different industries and levels of analysis, suggesting future studies should explore less digitally advanced sectors and include individual, unit, and organizational level perspectives.