Digitalization and industry 4.0: What skills improve professional behaviours?

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the skills that, in the processes of digitalization and Industry 4.0, contribute to improving the professional behaviours of the employees involved in these processes.

Design/methodology/approach: For this purpose, a Delphi study was carried out, collecting the opinions of 38 teaching and professional experts, through face-to-face meetings or by videoconference, and analysing their opinions using descriptive statistics and structural equation models.

Findings: The results obtained show that the key skills for improving professional behaviours are teamwork, conduct, management, and problem-solving, which influence most of the behaviours studied.

Originality/value: In practice, these results allow companies to be guided in terms of employee training in relation to digitalization skills and assist their selection processes. Additionally, educational institutions can review their study plans, increasing the relevance of the skills that companies value the most.