Human-Centered Transformation: An Integrative Conceptual Framework Linking Talent Management, Digitalization, and Sustainability in Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises

This study develops and empirically grounds the Human-Centered Transformation Framework (HCTF), an integrative model explaining how talent management (TM) functions as a dynamic capability aligning digital transformation (DT) and sustainability (SUS) within traditional manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union. Integrating the Resource-Based View, dynamic capabilities theory, and Organizational Culture Theory, the framework was constructed through structured theory-building and validated using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data from 203 manufacturing SMEs across Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia (78-item survey; Cronbach’s α = 0.84–0.91 across six constructs) provide statistical support for the framework’s core propositions, while qualitative interviews with 18 senior executives offer explanatory depth on the mechanisms through which TM enables transformation integration. Findings indicate that TM practice intensity is positively associated with both digital readiness (β = 0.42; p < 0.001) and sustainability maturity (β = 0.36; p < 0.001), with transformational leadership and learning-oriented organizational culture operating as significant mediating and moderating variables respectively. The study contributes a context-specific theoretical synthesis extending prior integrative TM models to the twin transitions context, while acknowledging limitations including the cross-sectional design and Central European sample.