Competences and the Digital Transformation: Case Study of a German Management Consultancy

Digital transformation (DT) has become a challenge for social, business and education systems, as it requires sophisticated ways of management in comparison to traditional, well-established project management methods. In addition, certain competences, as well as new competence profiles, emerge during this transformation. Following the case study method based on a well-established German management consultancy, a series of interviews, a focus group discussion, and analysis of competences and DT management approaches were conducted to answer the following research questions: (1) what are people-related challenges in DT projects? (2) how people enable success of DT projects? (3) are there specific competences relevant for DT projects’ success? Application of the qualitative research methods resulted in such findings as: the biggest challenge in the DT management is a lack of the right set of competences, the “Number 1” factor of the successful DT is a change management, and the right problem-solving mindset, empathy, and ability to learn are above all needed for DT skills.