Digital Transformation and the Strategic Role of the HR Function in the Post-COVID Era

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the digital transformation of organizations, leading to a profound and lasting redefinition of the strategic role of the Human Resources (HR) function. This article presents a critical narrative review of academic and professional literature aimed at analyzing how the health crisis has contributed to repositioning HR from a predominantly administrative function to a central strategic actor in organizational performance and resilience.

The methodological approach is based on a thematic and purposive selection of scientific publications, institutional reports, and professional surveys published mainly between 2020 and 2025. The analysis relies on an interpretative and comparative reading of the selected sources, allowing the identification of key dynamics, convergences, and tensions related to the digitalization of HR practices in the post-COVID context.

The findings highlight a significant acceleration in the adoption of digital HR tools, the widespread diffusion of hybrid work models, and the strengthening of HR’s strategic role in talent management, skills development, employee experience, and organizational resilience. However, this transformation also reveals persistent challenges, particularly regarding cybersecurity, digital fatigue, skills gaps, and the risk of dehumanizing work relationships.

The article concludes that the post-COVID era has fostered the emergence of an “augmented” HR function, required to balance digital technologies with a human-centered approach in order to sustainably support organizational performance in an uncertain environment.

Classification JEL : M12; M15; O33

Paper type : Critical narrative literature review