Agile workforce as the driver of sustainable digital transformation

Purpose As organizations undergo digital transformation, this paper aims to highlight the critical role of agile workforce in making these transformations sustainable. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on recent research to inform HR leaders’ thinking with a framework positioning system-level interventions for workforce agility. Findings The paper builds a case for workforce agility as key driver for sustainable digital transformation. HR leaders must reframe HRD interventions for agile workforce development by assessing how effectively they support reconfiguring, redeployment and renewal goals to have system-level impact. Originality/value While several papers have elaborated on the importance of reskilling and upskilling for digital transformation, these remain short-term and disconnected actions incapable of driving sustainability agenda. This paper briefs on the criticality of agile workforce as a broader system-level effort for harvesting full potential of digital technologies during industry 5.0 transition. The proposed framework offers a way to evaluate and design future HRD interventions.