Abstract:

Economy 4.0 – as it was in cases of the earlier industrial revolutions – constitutes the result of rapid technological changes coupled with changes in the social order, customs and behaviours of people. The main ‘pillars’ of Industry 4.0 include: the industrial internet of things, cloud-based production, smart factories, cyber-physical systems and social product development. The development of an industry based on digitization and new technologies generates challenges that can only be met by companies that are directed by managers equipped with competencies adequate to these challenges. Therefore, the study of key competencies in Industry 4.0 does not only have a cognitive dimension but also a utilitarian one because at the country level it allows for reorientation of the educational policy and at the organizational level it directs the selection of personnel and the policy of professional development of employees. The aim of the article is to systematize knowledge of key managerial competencies in enterprises 4.0 as well as to learn about opinions on this subject expressed by the management staff from the enterprise sector. The article contains the results of research carried out using the desk research method and focus group interview (FGI). The interview was conducted among high-level managers (executive level) from selected industrial enterprises operating in Poland. These are the pilot studies whose results will be used to create tools for further, in-depth quantitative research.