Digitization of German SMEs across Industries

Why Companies Should Look Closely at Competencies

JournalIndustrie 4.0 Management
Issue Volume 34, 2018, Edition 2, Pages 38-42
Open Accesshttps://doi.org/10.30844/I40M18-2_38-42
Bibliography Share Cite Download

Abstract

Digitization has a considerable impact on companies and their business environment. With extensive digital pilot projects and digitization programs, large corporations show that they are increasingly internalizing the digital transformation. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on the other hand, often have a need to catch up. In addition to the technical aspects of digital transformation, the human factor is playing an increasingly important role. With the help of a cross-sectional analysis of German SMEs, findings on digitization competence were derived and analyzed across industries. The term work 4.0 was divided into the dimensions of qualification, organization and leadership and these were considered as influencing factors. In individual industries, there are clear deficits in the area of digitization competence. It shows that these competences depend to a large extent on the dimensions of the work 4.0.

Keywords


Bibliography

[1] Destatis: Anteile kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen an ausgewählten Merkmalen. URL: https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/GesamtwirtschaftUmwelt/UnternehmenHandwerk/KleineMittlereUnternehmenMittelstand/Tabellen/Insgesamt.html. Abrufdatum 05.02.2018.
[2] Siepmann, D.; Graef, N.: Industrie 4.0 – Grundlagen und Gesamtzusammenhang. In: Roth, A. (Hrsg): Einführung und Umsetzung von Industrie 4.0. Grundlagen, Vorgehensmodell und Use Cases aus der Praxis. Berlin Heidelberg 2016.
[3] Schlund, S.; Pokorni, B.: Industrie 4.0 ‒ Wo steht die Revolutions der Arbeitsgestaltung? Ulm Stuttgart 2016.
[4] Barth, H.: Digitalisierung im deutschen Mittelstand. 2017.
[5] Mohr, N.; Morawiak, D.; Köster, N.; Saß, B.: Die Digitalisierung des deutschen Mittelstands. 2017.
[6] Mochmann, E.: Quantitative Daten für die Sekundäranalyse. In: Baur, N.; Blasius, J. (Hrsg.): Handbuch Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung. Wiesbaden 2014.
[7] IfM Bonn: KMU-Definition des IfM Bonn. URL: https://www.ifm-bonn.org/definitionen/kmu-definition-des-ifm-bonn/, Abrufdatum 08.11.2017.
[8] Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): Gliederung der Klassifikation der Wirtschaftszweige. Ausgabe 2008 (WZ 2008). Wiesbaden 2007.
[9] El Sawy, O. A.; Malhotra, A.; Park, Y.; Pavlou, P. A.: Research Commentary ‒ Seeking the Configurations of Digital Ecodynamics. It Takes Three to Tango. In: Information Systems Research 21 (2010) 4, S. 835–48.
[10] Ludwig, T.; Kotthaus, C.; Stein, M.; Durt, H.; Kurz, C.; Wenz, J.; Doublet, T.; Becker, M.; Pipek, V.; Wulf, V.: Arbeiten im Mittelstand 4.0–KMU im Spannungsfeld des digitalen Wandels. In: HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik 53 (2016) 1, S. 71-86.
[11] Staudt, E.: Kompetenz und Innovation. In: Clermont, A.; Schmeisser, W.; Krimphove, D. (Hrsg): Personalführung und Organisation 2015.
[12] Probst, G.; Raub, S.; Romhardt, K.: Wissen managen. Wie Unternehmen ihre wertvollste Ressource optimal nutzen, 7. Aufl. . Wiesbaden 2013.
[13] Pawlowsky, P.; Gerlach, L.; Hauptmann, S.; Puggel, A.: Wissen als Wettbewerbsvorteil in kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen – Empirische Typologisierungen auf Grundlage einer bundesweiten Befragung. In: FOKUS prints 09 (2006).
[14] Bland, J. M.; Altman, D. G.: Statistics notes. Cronbach‘s alpha. In: BMJ 314 (1997) 7080, S. 572.
[15] Tropf, T. M.; Miosga, J.: Der Handel digitalisiert sich nur langsam. URL: https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/Der-Handel-digitalisiert-sich-nur-langsam.html, Abrufdatum 08.11.2017.
[16] Kersten, W.; Seiter, M.; von See, B.; Hackius, N.; Maurer, T.: Trends und Strategien in Logistik und Supply Chain Management. Chancen der digitalen Transformation. Bremen 2017.
[17] Bauernhansl, T.; Emmrich, V.: Geschäftsmodellinnovation durch Industrie 4.0. Chancen und Risiken für den Maschinen- und Anlagenbau. München 2015.
[18] Staudt, E.; Kriegsmann, B.: Technische Entwicklung und Innovation. In: Kahsnitz, D.; Ropohl, G.; Schmid, A. (Hrsg): Handbuch zur Arbeitslehre. München 1997.
[19] Ropohl, G.: Allgemeine Technologie. Eine Systemtheorie der Technik Karlsruhe 2009.
[20] von See, B.; Kersten, W.: Digitale Transformation des Arbeitsumfelds. Identifikation und Analyse von Handlungsfeldern in Unternehmen am Beispiel der Logistik. In: Gronau, N. (Hrsg): Industrial Internet of Things in der Arbeits- und Betriebsorganisation. Berlin 2017.
[21] Reker, J.; Böhm, K.: Digitalisierung im Mittelstand. 2013.
[22] https://www.kompetenzzentrum-hamburg.digital/.
[23] Delfmann, W.; Hompel, M. ten; Kersten, W.; Schmidt, T.; Stölzle, W.: Logistik als Wissenschaft in Zeiten der vierten industriellen Revolution. Positionspapier des Wissenschatlichen Beirats der Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL). Bremen 2017.

Your downloads


Potentials: Leadership

You might also be interested in

Industry 4.0—Progress and Digitalization in Limbo

Industry 4.0—Progress and Digitalization in Limbo

Status of sustainable transformation and digitalization in production engineering
Christian Donhauser ORCID Icon, Daniel Riepl
Digitalization projects help users represent complex processes more simply and efficiently. However, there are many obstacles to implementation. Reluctance to implement these projects is palpable. This affects, among others, employers and employees, who may fall behind economically by waiting or avoiding change. These observations can be traced back to an overarching research question: What barriers and systemic challenges hinder sustainable transformation within the context of Industry 4.0, particularly when considering human labor in production engineering? What questions are the affected stakeholders asking? The primary goal of this long-term research project is to define these questions decisively and in detail in order to develop a conceptual foundation that integrates research, teaching, and technological development and thus combines the potential of digital technologies with the experiential and practical knowledge of production workers.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 3 | Pages 56-60
Application Potentials of Chinese Knowledge Platforms

Application Potentials of Chinese Knowledge Platforms

Digital platforms for knowledge transfer in research and education
Yunhao Su, Martin Braun ORCID Icon
Knowledge drives innovation, which is why digital platforms are increasingly used for knowledge transfer. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a global leader in digitalization and digital platforms are central to Chinese knowledge transfer and innovation systems. This study supplements theoretical concepts of knowledge transfer with empirical findings on the (further) development of relevant knowledge platforms. It examines the influence of specific design features on the functionality and quality of digital knowledge platforms. A literature review identifies seven condensed success criteria. Nine leading Chinese knowledge platforms are categorized based on their transfer logic and functional scope. Online survey participants assess the platform-specific manifestations of the identified criteria and highlight potential and areas for improvement in platform-based knowledge transfer.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 3 | Pages 84-93
VR Training for Multimodal Cobot Interaction

VR Training for Multimodal Cobot Interaction

Virtual learning environments for collaborative robots
Christoph S. Zoller, Justus Langer, Kristoffer Waldow ORCID Icon, Merle Meyer, Arnulph Fuhrmann ORCID Icon
The VIRAMM research project is developing and prototyping a VR-based training concept for the integration of collaborative robots (cobots) in assembly-oriented U-cells. Since the benefits of cobots depend heavily on process, layout, and role integration, VIRAMM addresses the previously lacking consistent scenario design for variant comparisons with Key Performance Indicator (KPI)-based evaluation.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 3 | Pages 106-112
Decentralized Coordination of AMRs

Decentralized Coordination of AMRs

Regulations for Autonomous Mobile Robots
Manuel Savadogo, Malte Stonis ORCID Icon, Peter Nyhuis ORCID Icon, Jürgen Hupp
The increasing automation of intralogistics requires flexible and resilient control concepts for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). While centralized coordination approaches enable stringent control, they quickly reach their limits in terms of scalability and robustness. This paper therefore presents regulations for the decentralized coordination of AMR within the framework of the ORPHEUS project. The focus is on translating known decentralized decision-making principles into a rule framework tailored to industrial material flow scenarios, addressing both operational task assignment and safety-related conflict situations. ORPHEUS thus makes a significant contribution to the methodological structuring, parameterization, and practical transferability of decentralized coordination logics.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 3 | Pages 96-105
Immersive Human Digital Twins for Industry 4.0

Immersive Human Digital Twins for Industry 4.0

Supporting adaptive human-centric production by integrating cognitive and physical states
Tajbeed A. Chowdhury ORCID Icon, Eric Wagner ORCID Icon, Paul Motzki ORCID Icon, Martina Lehser ORCID Icon
The rapid advancement of immersive technologies has created new opportunities to transform human-machine collaboration in industry. This paper presents an immersive platform with a digital twin that combines both physical and cognitive characteristics of human dynamics. By integrating multimodal sensing, human biomechanics, and cognitive state into digital twin technology, the proposed system enhances operational safety and ensures better ergonomics. The main argument is that human digital twins are not only desirable but essential for next-generation industrial systems. We discuss the limitations of existing human modeling approaches, outline the conceptual foundations of human digital twins, and demonstrate their industrial relevance across safety, productivity, ergonomics and sustainability.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 3 | Pages 6-13 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.3.1
Serious Games as a Training Tool

Serious Games as a Training Tool

Game mechanics design to promote resilience
Annika Lange ORCID Icon, Thomas Knothe ORCID Icon
Unforeseen events are increasingly challenging manufacturing companies. Being resilient during crises is becoming a key competence. Serious games (SG) can help make resilience-building processes more transparent. This article derives specific requirements for SG from different phases of resilience and shows how these can be implemented in game mechanics in order to effectively support the training of resilience.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 2 | Pages 98-104