Organizational Culture and Human Resource Practices under Industry 5.0 across the Asia–Pacific Region: A Comparative Sociological Analysis of Entrepreneurial Orientation, Human-Centric Innovation, Workforce Adaptation, and Managerial Change.

Abstract

The transition toward Industry 5.0 represents a fundamental shift from technology-centric automation toward human-centric, resilient, and sustainable organizational systems. While prior research has predominantly focused on Industry 4.0 technologies, limited scholarly attention has been given to the sociological transformation of organizational culture and human resource (HR) practices required to support Industry 5.0, particularly within the heterogeneous institutional landscape of the Asia–Pacific region. This study addresses this gap by developing a comparative sociological analysis of how organizational culture and HR practices jointly shape entrepreneurial orientation, human-centric innovation, workforce adaptation, and managerial change across diverse Asia–Pacific contexts. Grounded in organizational sociology and human resource management theory, the study conceptualizes Industry 5.0 as a socio-technical paradigm in which cultural values, leadership norms, and HR systems play a central role in mediating human–technology collaboration. Drawing on comparative data from organizations operating in multiple Asia–Pacific economies, the research examines how variations in institutional environments, labor market structures, and cultural norms influence the configuration and effectiveness of culture–HR systems. The analysis focuses on the alignment between organizational culture types and HR practice bundles, including talent development, participatory decision-making, performance management, and reskilling strategies, and evaluates their impact on key Industry 5.0 outcomes. The findings reveal that organizations characterized by adaptive and innovation-oriented cultures, supported by high-involvement HR practices, demonstrate stronger entrepreneurial orientation, greater capacity for human-centric innovation, and higher levels of workforce adaptability. In contrast, control-oriented cultural environments relying on rigid HR systems tend to experience slower managerial transformation and greater resistance to human-AI integration. The study further highlights the moderating role of institutional context, showing that the effectiveness of human-centric HR practices is contingent upon national skill systems, regulatory frameworks, and socio-cultural expectations prevalent across the Asia–Pacific region. This research makes three key contributions. First, it extends Industry 5.0 scholarship by foregrounding organizational culture and HR practices as critical sociological drivers of human-centric transformation. Second, it provides a comparative framework that explains cross-regional differences in Industry 5.0 adoption within the Asia–Pacific context. Third, it offers practical insights for managers and policymakers seeking to design culturally aligned HR systems that foster sustainable innovation, entrepreneurial behavior, and inclusive managerial change in the emerging Industry 5.0 era.