How Large Manufacturing Firms Understand the Impact of Digitization: A Learning Perspective

Abstract

Digitization is currently one of the major factors changing society and the business world. Most research focused on the technical issues of this change, but also employees and especially the way how they learn changes dramatically. In this paper, we are interested in exploring the perspectives of decision makers in huge manufacturing companies on current challenges in organizing learning and knowledge distribution in digitized manufacturing environments. Moreover, we investigated the change process and challenges of implementing new knowledge and learning processes. To this purpose, we have conducted 24 interviews with senior representatives of large manufacturing companies from Austria, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Our exploratory study shows that decision makers perceive significant changes in work practice of manufacturing due to digitization and they currently plan changes in organizational training and knowledge distribution processes in response. Due to the lack of best practices, companies focus very much on technological advancements. The delivery of knowledge just-in-time directly into work practice is a favorite approach. Overall, digital learning services are growing and new requirements regarding compliance, quality management and organisational culture arise.