Human Resource Intelligence as a Higher-Order Capability: Evidence from HR Professionals in Thai Listed Companies

Chairat Nateeprasittiporn; Boon-Anan  Phinaitrup

doi:10.57260/csdj.2026.287914

Authors

Chairat Nateeprasittiporn Graduate School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand
Boon-Anan Phinaitrup Graduate School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57260/csdj.2026.287914

Keywords:

Human resource intelligence, Artificial intelligence, Digital transformation, Higher-order construct, Stock exchange of Thailand, Human resource management

Abstract

This study conceptualizes and empirically validates Human Resource Intelligence (HRI) as a higher-order capability for HR professionals in the AI era. Drawing on data from 255 HR managers and practitioners in companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), the study examines how six intelligence domains—Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Digital Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, and Functional Intelligence—jointly constitute HRI. Using PLS-SEM, the results support HRI as a reliable and valid second-order construct, with acceptable model fit (SRMR = 0.066). All six dimensions contributed significantly to HRI. Digital Intelligence showed the strongest structural contribution (w = 0.262), followed by Emotional Intelligence (w = 0.245) and Functional Intelligence (w = 0.244), indicating that digital capability functions as the central anchor of HRI. Descriptive findings, however, showed that HR professionals reported the highest proficiency in Functional Intelligence and the lowest proficiency in Artificial Intelligence and Business Intelligence. This divergence reveals a capability imbalance: the areas in which practitioners feel most confident are not necessarily those that most strongly define HRI in AI-enabled organizations. The study contributes to HRM literature by showing that HRI is better understood not as a list of isolated competencies, but as an empirically validated higher-order capability. Practically, the findings suggest that HR development in Thai listed firms should prioritize AI literacy, digital fluency, and business analytics capability.

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