Editorial to Human Systems Management volume 40 issue 6

Dear HSM readers,

Throughout 2021, Human Systems Management has published a series of articles focusing on the strategic revival of human systems management (HSM) on the occasion of the journal’s 40th anniversary. As introduced in the opening editorial to the series, “the journal is to continue as a self-renewing evolving entity, open to new paradigms, new technologies, timely adaptations and trailblazing new authors from all over the world” [1]. Throughout the year, content has been published on this theme. Now, in this volume’s final issue, we are proud to present a strong compilation of articles composing the strategic revival of HSM.

“Entering the age of accelerated change: In search of equilibrium” [2] introduces the main topics to be discussed in the strategic revival of HSM: continued acceleration of the rate of change; powerful tendencies from equilibrium to disequilibrium; shifts from genetic to memetic forces of human evolution; conflicts between state-interventionism and self-organized natural response; misbalance between the rates of accepting the new and abandoning the old; conflicts rising between the man-made and naturally self-sustainable worlds; and merging needs for multidisciplinary education, thinking, research, and action. To further support the introduction of the strategic revival of HSM, “Human systems management: A retrospective of 40 years” [3] provides an overview of the journal content and its impact in the field, and “The roots of evolutionary economics: Crisis, transformation and metamorphosis” [4] explains the evolution of economics until the age of entrepreneurship.

Within the scope of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), “The comparison study on employees’ adoption of public and enterprise social networks” [5] offers novel insights on understanding and applying social network services, while “So far and yet so near: The emerging characteristics, forms and configurations of organizational proximity in the context of digitalization” [6] argues on the importance of organizations to conceive a composite proximity strategy by taking into account the effect of substituted proximity, driven by digitalization, in the configuration of organizational proximity.

“Emotional labor: A comprehensive literature review” [7] poses a comprehensive review to help expand the field in five different ways: by reviewing contemporary theoretical conceptualizations of emotional labor and its dimensions; summarizing seven existing measures of emotional labor in light of their contents; mapping the theoretical and nomological network of emotional labor about its antecedents, outcomes, moderators, and mediators; using meta-analysis to explore the relationship between emotional labor and other variables in different contexts; and showing a detailed future research agenda to bring the field forward from different perspectives, including theoretical and empirical advancement.

“Does higher education properly prepare graduates for the growing artificial intelligence market? Gaps’ identification using text mining” [8], “Virtual migration of higher education institutions in times of crisis: Major challenges and critical success factors” [9], and “Ready for the future? Employability skills and competencies in the twenty-first century: The view of international experts” [10] discuss the necessary changes and adaptations in higher education training to meet the expectations of the labor market in the 21^st century.

Focusing on the relationship between business and employee, “Exploring the relationship between corporate social responsibility actions and employee retention: A human resource management perspective” [11] and “From training to learning: Transition of a Workplace for Industry 4.0” [12] show how corporate social responsibility and corporate learning play essential roles in the healthy development of businesses and their workforce.

Closing the strategic revival of HSM selection of papers, “The evolutionary circular and human centered city: Towards an ecological and humanistic re-generation of the current city governance” [13] proposes the profile of circular governance (i.e., assuming the model of the circular economy) that is human centered, capable of reducing inequalities, enhancing the processes of actual participation in the construction of a desirable future for cities, through its capacity to regenerate material and no-material components and values.

We hope that this broad selection of articles will shed light on the strategic revival of human systems management research. The full list of articles included in this selection are highlighted via the IOS Press website at: http://iospress.com/human-systems-management#strategic-revival-of-hsm. Happy reading!

Prof. Milan Zeleny

Guest Editor

Prof. Nada Trunk Širca

Editor-in-Chief