Neuroscience tools at work: approaches to use across the employee lifecycle and future research agenda

Purpose – Neuroscience tools offer new frontlines to understand areas of human behavior that are so far unexplored. However, the types and scopes of such NTs are currently known only to a limited number of Human Resource Management (HRM) innovators and scholars. In our study, we investigate and report on the approaches to use NTs across employee life cycle phases, including acquiring, developing, and retaining.

Design/methodology/approach – The review was conducted according to the guidance for scoping reviews and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Findings – Our results indicate that the application of NTs across the employee lifecycle is a growing, interdisciplinary field. However, we found a few empirical studies with existing applications primarily concentrated on the employee development and retention phases. The findings provide an overview of various NT applications and their scope, shedding light on the sectors where these technologies are most prevalent. Additionally, we identify gaps in the literature and, based on these, propose a comprehensive research agenda for future explorations.

Originality/value – The study offers the first literature review on this topic and establishes an agenda for future research.