VR for HR – A Case Study of Human Resource Development Professionals Using Virtual Reality for Social Skills Training in the Workplace

Abstract

The Human Resource (HR) area has made little use of innovative technologies to develop its processes, routines and education. However, we believe that digital tools such as Virtual Reality (VR) can play an important role in developing social aspects of work. We have investigated Human Resource Development Professionals’ (HRD-Ps’) perception of using a VR-prototype for training of social skills in the workplace. A digital three-dimensional world was designed for the study participants, in which they interacted with agents to train social skills in the workplace. Study participants explored a VR-prototype through the usage of head-mounted devices (HMD). We collected the designer’s description of the intended design element of the VR prototype and pre- and post-intervention questionnaire from the study participants and conducted a top-down thematic analysis. The three intended design elements 1) focus on the training experience, 2) learning-depth through emotional response for engagement and motivation, and 3) perspective-taking enabled by game design, were confirmed and reflected upon by the HRD-Ps’. Additionally, using VR for social skills training in the workplace was recognized as innovative, and could have the capacity to position an organization as being in the forefront of digitalization. The conclusion is that VR has a potential to create engagement and provide insights in HR matters, but further studies are needed to show the full power and potential in using VR for HR matters.