Digital Transformation and Organizational Challenges. An Exploratory Study

Successful survival and competitive advantages are the greatest challenges societies and organizations face. A cultural and strategic paradigm shift is needed, particularly in work relationships and the organizational environment. Industry 4.0 remains too linked to technology, even if the biggest challenge seems to be related to people. Higher Education Institutions are key players in this transformation process and the present study aims to understand the perception of higher technical professional students just before entering their final internship. Quantitative research of descriptive nature was used, and a questionnaire was conducted at a Polytechnic Institute in Portugal between November and December 2021. The results show that students who have heard about Industry 4.0, perceive it mainly from a technological perspective, even if they have developed leadership skills, communication, decision-making facility, and analytical skills in the courses they attend. The results achieved within the questionnaire provide a basis for improvements and innovations in Higher Education, which can be a key point for the development of Industry 4.0 strategies in the future, namely regarding the redesign of some curricula or pedagogies to overcome challenges and prepare students to be successful in the future.