EMPLOYEE ADAPTABILITY IN THE ERA OF THE GREEN DIGITAL REVOLUTION: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES
Keywords:
Employee Adaptability, Green Digital Revolution, Sustainability, Skill Development, Change ManagementAbstract
This study aims to examine the opportunities, challenges and strategies for improving the adaptability of employees in the age of the Green Digital Revolution. The Green Digital Revolution stands for the integration of digital technological progress with sustainable ecological development. Such change has a significant impact on both organizational processes and human resource management, especially on employees who must adapt quickly to constant change. In order to respond effectively, employees need to develop both digital and green skills to remain agile and adapt to the changing needs of the organization. The green digital revolution offers several opportunities, including creating new jobs, improving work efficiency and supporting sustainable growth. However, it also brings critical challenges, such as the need to adapt quickly, skills shortages and resistance to change. To enable an effective transition, organizations should implement a variety of strategic approaches. These include training and skills development, fostering a culture of continuous learning, effective change management and supporting employee wellbeing and flexibility in the workplace. In addition, leadership development, knowledge management and building external collaborative networks are important strategies to promote employee adaptability at both an individual and organizational level, contributing to long-term, sustainable transformation.
References
จันทร์จิรา เหลาราช. (2564). การปรับเปลี่ยนสู่ดิจิทัลและผลกระทบต่อองค์การ. มนุษยศาสตร์สาร, 22(1), 227-240.
นพฤทธิ์ จิตรสายธาร. (2560). ความหวังใหม่ของคนไทยกับยุทธศาสตร์ชาติ 20 ปี. วารสาร มจร อุบลปริทรรศน์, 2(3), 141-154.
ยูนิลีเวอร์ ประเทศไทย. (2567). ยูนิลีเวอร์ต่อยอดนวัตกรรมทางสังคมจากเวที GCNT FORUM 2023. https://www.unilever.co.th/news/2024/gcnt-forum-2023/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Baral, A. K. (2024). Sustainable practices in conformity assessment. In Handbook of Quality System, Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (pp. 333-370). Springer Nature Singapore.
Binci, D., Palozzi, G., & Scafarto, F. (2022). Toward digital transformation in healthcare: a framework for remote monitoring adoption. The TQM Journal, 34(6), 1772-1799. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/TQM-04-2021-0109
Calarco, A., & Gurvis, J. (2006). Adaptability: Responding effectively to change. Center for creative leadership.
Carley, M., & Christie, I. (2017). Managing sustainable development. Routledge.
Chanana, N., & Singh, M. Y. (2024). Socio-economic relevance in science, social science, and commerce toward sustainability. Jyotikiran Publication Pune.
Cocu, A., Pecheanu, E., Susnea, I., Dingli, S., Istrate, A., & Tudorie, C. (2025). Technology-enabled learning for green and sustainable entrepreneurship education. Administrative Sciences, 15(2), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15020045
Colglazier, W. (2015). Sustainable development agenda: 2030. Science, 349(6252), 1048-1050. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad2333
Dyer, H. C. (2017). Green theory. In McGlinchey, S, Walters, R and Scheinpflug, C, (eds.) International relations theory. E-International Relations , Bristol, England (pp. 84-90). White Rose University consortium.
Grass, A., Backmann, J., & Hoegl, M. (2020). From empowerment dynamics to team adaptability: Exploring and conceptualizing the continuous agile team innovation process. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 37(4), 324-351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12525
Humphreys, C. (2023). Part 1: Future skills?. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-skills-colin-humphreys-0pgee
ILO. (2019). Skills for a Greener Future: Key Findings. https://www.ilo.org/publications/skills-greener-future-key-findings
Karuppannan, R. (2012). Training and development: A study of employees’ attitude on training in Vellore district cooperative bank [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Alagappa University.
Loiseau, E., Saikku, L., Antikainen, R., Droste, N., Hansjürgens, B., Pitk€ anen, K., Leskinen, P., Kuikman, P., & Thomsen, M. (2016). Green economy and related concepts: An overview. Journal of cleaner production, 139, 361-371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.024
Mikava, N., & Baramidze, I. (2024). Reimagining employee well-being: How digital health drives thriving cultures in organizations. Agora International Journal of Juridical Sciences, 18(2), 226. https://doi.org/10.15837/aijjs.v18i2.6992
Musarat, M. A., Irfan, M., Alaloul, W. S., Maqsoom, A., & Ghufran, M. (2023). A review on the way forward in construction through industrial revolution 5.0. Sustainability, 15(18), 13862. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813862
OECD. (2023). Briefing note - Digital skills and digital inclusion. https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/about/projects/cfe/oecd-city-network-on-jobs-and-skills/Briefing-note-Digital-skills-and-digital-inclusion.pdf/_jcr_content/renditions/original./Briefing-note-Digital-skills-and-digital-inclusion.pdf
Omol, E. J. (2024). Organizational digital transformation: From evolution to future trends. Digital Transformation and Society, 3(3), 240-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/DTS-08-2023-0061
Ployhart, R. E., & Turner, S. F. (2014). Organizational adaptability. In Individual Adaptability to Changes at Work (pp. 73-91). Routledge.
Ramadhani, W., Khuzaini, K., & Shaddiq, S. (2024). Resistance to change: Human resources issues in the implementation of industry 4.0 technology. In 1st Al Banjari Postgradiate International Conference: Multidisciplinary Perspective on Sustainable Development (pp.345-351). Islamic University of Kalimantan.
Sanders, S., & Karmowska, J. (2020). Voluntary flexible working arrangements and their effects on managers and employees. UNIE Business Research, 9(2), 197-220. https://doi.org/10.48132/hdbr.304
Schwertner, K. (2017). Digital transformation of business. Trakia Journal of Sciences, 15(1), 388-393. https://doi.org/10.15547/TJS.2017.S.01.065
Sony, M., & Mekoth, N. (2022). Employee adaptability skills for Industry 4.0 success: a road map. Production & Manufacturing Research, 10(1), 24-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2022.2035281
TDRI. (2023). ปรับทักษะคนไทยในยุคเศรษฐกิจคาร์บอนต่ำ…เพื่อสร้างงานรายได้ดีและไม่ทิ้งใครไว้ข้างหลัง. https://tdri.or.th/2023/11/greenjob-upskill-reskill-transition-lowcarbon-paper/
The Standard. (2021). Sea (ประเทศไทย) เปิดผลสำรวจแรงงานไทย 45% ขาดทักษะด้านดิจิทัล เสี่ยงถูกแทนที่ด้วยระบบอัตโนมัติ. https://thestandard.co/survey-results-of-45-of-thai-workers-lack-digital-skills/
Trenerry, B., Chng, S., Wang, Y., Suhaila, Z. S., Lim, S. S., Lu, H. Y., & Oh, P. H. (2021). Preparing workplaces for digital transformation: An integrative review and framework of multi-level factors. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 620766. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620766
UNESCO. (2023). Greening education for sustainable development in Southeast Asian countries. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000388289
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Van Dam, K. (2013). Employee adaptability to change at work: A multidimensional, resource-based framework. The psychology of organizational change: Viewing change from the employee’s perspective, 123-142. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139096690.009
Van Dam, K., Bipp, T., & Van Ruysseveldt, J. (2015). 13 The role of employee adaptability, goal striving and proactivity for sustainable careers (p. 190). Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd..
Vargo, D., Zhu, L., Benwell, B., & Yan, Z. (2021). Digital technology use during COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.242
Vorecol. (2024). How can organizations assess the digital skill gaps of their employees?. https://psico-smart.com/en/blogs/blog-how-can-organizations-assess-the-digital-skill-gaps-of-their-employees-125088
Wainaina, C. N., Kabare, K., & Mukulu, E. (2014). Determinants of employee adaptability to transformational change in commercial in Nairobi, Kenya: Empirical review. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 4(10), 1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v4-i10/1204
World Bank. (2023). Publication: Green digital transformation: How to sustainably close the digital divide and harness digital tools for climate action. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/6be73f14-f899-4a6d-a26e-56d98393acf3
World Economic Forum. (2020). The future of jobs report 2020. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020
Xiao, H. (2024). Employee role transformation and adaptation in digital transformation: Barriers, misalignments, and solutions in digital tool application. Journal of Applied Economics and Policy Studies, 13(1), 33-38. https://doi.org/10.54254/2977-5701/13/2024115
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Value Chain Management and Business Strategy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
