Influence of Disruptive Technologies on Inclusive Workforce Development Practices in Manufacturing SMEs of North Karnataka

Abstract

The manufacturing work is being re-defined through disruptive technologies, which are changing the production systems, job roles, skills needs, training approaches, and human resource practices. The digital transformation in small and medium manufacturing enterprises is usually analyzed in terms of productivity, efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness indicators. The question of whether the adoption of technology can reinforce disability-inclusive workforce development has received less attention, particularly within the regional industrial ecosystems where companies are limited by financial, infrastructural, and skills factors. This article explores how disruptive technologies have impacted disability-inclusive practices in workforce development in manufacturing SMEs of North Karnataka using a conceptual synthesis approach. With a conceptual synthesis approach, the article builds a mechanism-based framework and roadmap of implementation to be tested in the future. Based on the research on the adoption of Industry 4.0, literature on disability employment, literature on assistive technology scholarship, Technology-Organization-Environment framework, human capital theory, the social model of disability, inclusive recruitment, career development, and retention of persons with disabilities, the article establishes a comprehensive framework that connects the adoption of disruptive technologies with accessible training, reskilling, assistive support, reasonable accommodation, inclusive recruitment, The article maintains that disruptive technologies do not necessarily bring about inclusion. They are based on their inclusive value that is determined by their digital training capacity, HR digital readiness, inclusive leadership, policy awareness, accessible design and minimization of cost, skill, infrastructure and stigma-based barriers. The model will add to the body of literature about inclusive education and workforce development by redefining SME digital transformation as an inclusion-conversion process where learning in the workplace, assistive technology, and reasonable accommodation become the core components of the technological modernization process. The article provides feasible advice to manufacturing SMEs, skill-development institutions, policymakers, and disability-inclusion stakeholders to harmonize technological modernization and equitable employment and inclusive industrial development.