Human Resource Management 4.0: Challenges in Global Talent Management and Employer Branding in the Automotive Industry

Sammanfattning: This study examines the challenges related to global talent management (GTM) and employer branding (EB) strategies of multinational enterprises (MNE) within the automotive industry. Caused by increasing global talent shortages, the practices of GTM and EB have gained much attention in academic literature but are argued to be subject to integration-responsiveness tensions based on endogenous and exogenous factors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore how MNEs within the automotive industry respond to these challenges while identifying the most influential endogenous and exogenous factors, and their effect on these human resource (HR) practices. In order to achieve this goal, a multiple case study was conducted, based on semi-structured interviews with HR representatives from two European-headquartered MNEs within the automotive industry. Based on a flexible pattern matching approach, this study presents two findings. Firstly, both case companies experience a need for adaptation, based on varying local legislations and target group needs, but apply an overall global and integrated strategy to guarantee alignment and consistency. Secondly, the integration-responsiveness challenge was found to be predominated by challenges related to the fourth industrial revolution which is significantly changing the automotive industry. Hence, the implementation of HR practices that correspond with industry 4.0, i.e., human resource management 4.0, is considered to be the most important challenge in GTM and EB. We, thus, argue that future research should devote more attention to this challenge and further investigate whether it constitutes a key challenge for GTM and EB in other industries.