The implications of innovation for human resource strategies

This article examines three issues. The first is the pervasiveness of technology use and the impact of technology use on performance in the Canadian manufacturing sector. The use of advanced technologies, particularly labour-enhancing ones, is found to be widespread. A strong connection between technology adoption and superior performance is also found. The second section examines the relationship between technology adoption and training in manufacturing firms. Firms using either labour-saving or labour-enhancing technologies are found to be more likely to train. The third section expands this analysis to examine how innovation-related strategies and activities are related to training. Innovation is found to be a key driver behind training in all sectors. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)