The Landscape of Scientific Discussions on the Competencies 4.0 Concept in the Context of the 4th Industrial Revolution—A Bibliometric Review

Paweł Poszytek

doi:10.3390/su13126709

Abstract

The concept of Competencies 4.0 stems from a broader term of the 4th Industrial Revolution, also named Industry 4.0, which dates back to 2011, when the German Federal Government announced its high-tech strategy and policy towards increasing the competitiveness of the German economy during the Hannover Fair. These terms and concepts have been thoroughly and extensively discussed, analysed, and researched by experts within various scientific disciplines such as management, economy, psychology, education, human resources, informatics and systemics ever since. Due to the relevance of the Industry 4.0 concept in relation to current socio-economic challenges worldwide, the growing interest on the part of researchers and the proliferation of the above-mentioned terms in the literature, a network of patterns and relations has formed constituting a scientific landscape of the whole phenomenon. Accordingly, the aim of the analysis in this article is to map the landscape of scientific discussions on Competencies 4.0 in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution. So far, some of the aspects of this landscape have been researched with the use of various databases, search engines and software in order to process and visualise retrieved data. All of these tools have their advantages but also their shortcomings. This research uses the Scopus database and the author’s own algorithm to process the data. The results of the analysis provide a point of reference for scholars, practitioners, managers, policy and decision makers from various fields who search for sources which define Competencies corresponding to current and future socio-economic challenges in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Highlights

Introduction and Preliminary Literature ReviewSince the landscape of scientific discussions on Competencies 4.0 and Industry 4.0 is constantly growing, there is a need to carry out up-to-date bibliometric reviews
Geryk [19] and Clavert [20] provide us with a list of skills needed to overcome the challenges posed by Industry 4.0 from the point of view of the higher education system which is supposed to equip students with new qualifications needed in the new labour market
The aim of the analysis in this article is to map the scientific landscape of discussions on Competencies 4.0 in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution

Summary

Introduction and Preliminary Literature Review

Since the landscape of scientific discussions on Competencies 4.0 and Industry 4.0 is constantly growing, there is a need to carry out up-to-date bibliometric reviews. This literature review of the Competencies 4.0 concept in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution aims at (1) depicting the scientific landscape of Competencies 4.0 and Industry 4.0 concepts; (2) familiarising interest groups with relevant and influential authors, as well as sources in the field. Geryk [19] and Clavert [20] provide us with a list of skills needed to overcome the challenges posed by Industry 4.0 from the point of view of the higher education system which is supposed to equip students with new qualifications needed in the new labour market These skills are as follows: flexibility, adaptability, technological literacy, risk-taking, business thinking, and abilities connected with information management, cybersecurity, quality control and sustainability. The above skills directly refer to the broader categories of digital, cognitive, social, and managerial spheres Another example comes from the strictly industrial and manufacturing point of view. All these models feed into the search matrix of Competencies (see Query III below)

Analysis Design

Results and Discussion

A Cyber-Physical Systems

Final Remarks