Understanding the Changing Role of the Management Accountant in the Age of Industry 4.0 in Germany

Abstract

Currently, business processes are undergoing a transformation through digitalization. In the course of this development, “Industry 4.0” also has an impact on management accounting and IT systems. By promising technical development and improvement of management accounting processes, the conventional roles are challenged and the introduction of new occupational fields is prognosticated. However, in theory and practice, the impact of industry 4.0 (I4.0) on management accounting has not been considered adequately so far. Against this background, the primary goal of this study is to investigate the implications of I4.0 on management accounting by means of a triangulation approach. The results of expert interviews, a literature review and an analysis of job advertisements provide an overview on the development of competencies of Management Accountants (MA) in Germany. The results have highlighted a closer cooperation of MA and Data Scientists. Additionally, there will be a shift from traditional analysis towards statistical analysis methods.