Date
3-10-2026
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Chair
Patrick W Cline
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, automotive manufacturing, flexible work arrangements, human resources, organizational change
Disciplines
Business | Human Resources Management
Recommended Citation
Karim, Jessica LeTese, "Human Resources Changed in the Automotive Manufacturing Company During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8023.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8023
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant upheaval across global industries, particularly impacting the automotive sector. I investigated the evolution of human resources (HR) practices within an automotive manufacturing firm located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, during the pandemic. I delved into crucial shifts in workforce management, such as the swift transition to remote work, heightened emphasis on employee health and safety, and the adaptation of hiring, recruitment, and training methods. The analysis underscores how HR department employees and leaders transformed to maintain business continuity while prioritizing employee welfare and operational effectiveness. Using a semistructured interview method, I gathered insights from 17 volunteer participants through interviews and 17 anonymous surveys. Participants included individual contributors, senior executives, managers, supervisors, frontline workers, and other leaders, all of whom emphasized the importance of open communication, a robust infrastructure, and practical, effective training in overcoming challenges. The findings indicate that many of these adjustments reflect a lasting impact, leading to a shift towards more flexible, resilient, and technology-centric HR practices in the small automotive manufacturing sector. The move to remote team management and the transition from in-person to virtual interactions posed significant challenges, highlighting the pressing need for further investigation into HR strategies during crises. The study's findings add valuable insights to the existing literature on the complexities of human resource management in extraordinary circumstances and underscore the need for ongoing research in this area.
