As organizations increasingly adopt advanced digital HR technologies—such as AI-driven recruitment platforms, ongoing analytics, and virtual collaboration tools—a paradox has emerged: while technology promises efficiency, it can also serve to erode the relational fabric that underpins employee engagement and organizational commitment. This paper explores the concept of relational HR practices within the evolving landscape of high-tech, high-touch human resource management. Drawing on the relational perspective of HRM, I argue that technology should not replace human connection but rather augment it by enabling more personalized and empathetic workplace interactions. This talk will present a synthesis of findings from research on relational coordination (Allen & Eby, 2012), candidate reactions (McCarthy et al., 2017), and the role of digital platforms in shaping work relationships (Leonardi, 2021), to examine how organizations can design HR systems that foster trust, empathy, and collaboration. I will highlight emerging tensions—such as algorithmic decision-making versus relational judgment—and offer a framework for tech-enabled relational HRM that balances digital scalability with human-centric values. This has implications for HR leaders navigating the future of work, suggesting that sustainable people strategies must integrate relational intelligence alongside technological innovation.


References
Allen, T. D., & Eby, L. T. (2012). The study of interpersonal relationships: An introduction. In Personal Relationships (pp. 3-13). Routledge.
Leonardi, P. M. (2021). COVID-19 and the new technologies of organizing: Digital exhaust, digital footprints, and artificial intelligence in the wake of remote work. Journal of Management Studies, 58(1), 247-251.


McCarthy, J. M., Bauer, T. N., Truxillo, D. M., Anderson, N. R., Costa, A. C., & Ahmed, S. M. (2017). Applicant perspectives during selection: A review addressing "So what?,""What's new?," and "Where to next?". Journal of Management, 43(6), 1693-1725.