Creation of a model of change management for small and medium-sized enterprises through provocations of industrialisation 4.0. Dissertation abstract for the degree of Doctor habilitat in economics

Abstract

Relevance and Importance of the Chosen Topic. The current trends in the spread of new technologies in business, the economy, society, and the personal lives of individuals leave no doubt about the relevance of the chosen topic. The extreme complexity and simultaneous necessity of adapting to ongoing changes place a tremendous responsibility on management for the survival and future of companies in the near term. It has become clear that there is a need to rethink the entire business model: the rules of existence and interaction, systems and principles, technologies and tools, which until recently yielded favorable results and were adequate for existing conditions. The complexity of this transition lies in the nature of changes that fundamentally differ from previous development trends, which were linear and, consequently, more controllable, predictable, and plannable. The current business environment is so complex and dynamic that, recently, the processes occurring within it have begun to be compared to a new industrial revolution. At the same time, scientists characterize the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as a phenomenon entirely unlike previous revolutions, with the nature of changes and types of innovations significantly differing from those before. Moreover, the speed of changes is becoming exponential, making it evident that managing these processes—and even more so, predicting them—has become extremely challenging. Such shifts in the external environment push for organizational transformations based on the selection of a management model suited for the future, capable of enduring and successfully evolving, generating and implementing innovations, finding ways to engage each employee, skillfully distributing roles within teams, selecting the right approach to leadership, setting necessary priorities, working for the benefit of the client and society as a whole, and caring for personnel.