Tackling hurdles to digital transformation - the role of competencies for successful IIoT implementation

Abstract

New technologies associated with the current digital transformation promise high production improvements, but require new competences, which have to be built up in advance. While scientific research and innovation management have acknowledged the importance of the digital transformation for the long-term success of firms, little research effort is dedicated to empirically determine how competence profiles will have an impact on the digital transformation itself. Based on the theoretical approaches of competence management a process model is derived in order to seize reasonable activities to build a competence base for digitalized companies. The model was refined and pre-tested in a joint research project with scientific and industrial partners and then tested in a quantitative study among German component manufacturers of the capital-goods industry. Drawing upon a sample of 284 data sets, our results reveal that high developed cognitive and processual competences of individuals support the digital transformation of a firm. Surprisingly, social competences have only little influence. Our study could also give evidence that a high IIoT usage intensity is beneficial for a firm.