Autor: Florian Dörries

In view of the digital transformation, companies are facing radical changes which could have a big impact on their business success. Change management could help companies to deal with this transformation and to avoid the risk of losing market share to more innovative companies. The more important question at this stage is if traditional Change management models handle this topic well or if they must be adjusted. This article identifies challenges and success factors by using a literature analysis and a survey, by means of which an adapted model for successful Change management is generated.

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.