work 4.0

In the course of digitalization, more and more digital technologies are being used in various areas of logistics. The occupational field is changing and problem-solving and abstracting skills as well as competencies in dealing with IT systems and data are increasingly required. Based on a literature review, this article provides an overview of the current situation in the logistics working world. Effects of digitalization as well as requirements and future competencies in the working world 4.0 are highlighted. Finally, a guideline for the management level is derived in order to promote the acquisition of competencies. (Only in German)

Employees, machines and products get connected: the 4th Industrial Revolution has begun [1]. This is a central statement on the homepage of the German „Plattform Industrie 4.0“. Meanwhile the basic ideas started to move from the shopfloor level to the level of business processes and business models. In consequence it was detected pretty early, that digitization will affect the employees and their qualification and tasks in the companies; the term Work 4.0 evolved. The following contribution emphasizes the systematization of qualifications. A new model will be displayed, that helps to bring transparency to the distribution of qualification in companies. The useability of the model is verified in two case studies. The model is a practicable instrument for companies to gain a realistic view to the upcoming challenges of the shift of qualification due to digitization.

Digitization and related technologies extend the possibility of work design. As companies face the challenge of being able to respond to changing market conditions with agility, digital technologies are creating new ways to increase work flexibility in response to the need for better employee work-life balance. It is important to consider both the needs and requirements of employees and companies and to find satisfactory solutions for both sides. The present article describes how flexible work design is currently used in companies and how the technologies of digitization can be classified and brought together. Based on a structured literature analysis on the state of the art of the potential of flexible work, the article shows the synergy effects of cyber-physical systems, cloud computing and the Internet of Things as the basis for a consensual solution of the needs of companies and their employees.

Companies are increasingly acquiring new technologies that enable higher quality and efficiency. Every technology adoption is also a change process which affects the employees and their work and thus needs to be managed in an optimal way. This article is focused on the importance of goal definition during a change process. To facilitate this process, a checklist with 81 goals is presented. The checklist was developed based on scientific literature and practice-oriented tools and can be used by project teams to focus their activities on a holistic change process and track the goal progress.