A new research focus on digital transformation processes is being created at Fachhochschule Dortmund under the name "DigiTransPro". The question that lecturers, doctoral students and students, particularly from the Faculties of Computer Science and Business Studies, want to investigate is: How can digital change be shaped in companies, but also in society?
"Digitalization is the technical automation of existing processes," explains Prof. Dr. Carsten Wolff(Opens in a new tab) , lecturer at the Faculty of Computer Science and member of the board of the Institute for the Digital Transformation of Application and Living Domains (IDiAL)(Opens in a new tab) at Fachhochschule Dortmund. "Transformation is one step bigger. It describes a development that was previously impossible and therefore unforeseeable." Messenger services and social media, for example, are transforming communication. Many industries are currently undergoing similar upheavals.
Leonardo Da Vinci's shoemaker
When Prof. Wolff talks about (digital) transformation, he starts with Leonardo Da Vinci's shoemaker: "In the 15th century, he could not have imagined that we would produce shoes anywhere in the world today without having measured the foot. And that we would put these shoes in stores without knowing whether they would be bought there." But that is how the shoe market works today. The Industrial Revolution was also a transformation.
"Industrialization prevailed because mass production with standardized processes was more efficient," explains Carsten Wolff. If digital transformation also increases efficiency, it will also prevail. Professor Wolff doesn't yet know what this means for shoe shopping: "Maybe soon I'll just look into a camera and an AI will create the right shoe according to my wishes - without me having to say them. We are still at the very beginning of the digital transformation."
Shaping change processes
The challenge lies in shaping change processes without knowing the outcome in advance. "This is precisely why we want to generate methodologies that are based on existing project management ideas, but also go beyond them," explains Dr. Jan Christoph Albrecht(Opens in a new tab) , Professor of Project Management at the Faculty of Business Studies. With the international "European Master in Project Management" study program, Fachhochschule Dortmund is already well positioned for this. "We want to anchor project management in all disciplines and as many study programs as possible at Fachhochschule Dortmund," adds Carsten Wolff. This interdisciplinary focus is important in order to drive technological change with new participatory approaches.
"Digital transformation doesn't just affect a single company or industry, it has an impact on society," Prof. Albrecht also emphasizes. This is why change processes require good management. This means driving change forward step by step, taking everyone involved with you and not losing sight of the big vision. Carsten Wolff: "In many countries, project manager is already a protected job title that requires training. In Germany, we still have some catching up to do. With DigiTransPro, we will help to professionalize change processes."