The role of the digital coach in the context of digital transformation
Authors: Kröll Martin , Burova-Keßler Kristina 
Published: June 2023

The article deals with the results of the three-year EU project "Digital Coach". The project uses the ADAPTION maturity model and links it with the learning factory approach to develop a practice-oriented concept for promoting digital transformation in organisations and to apply it in Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece and Germany. Against this background, the tasks of the digital coach as a process promoter of the digital transformation in organisations are elaborated and a qualification programme is developed and tested.The tasks that the digital coach takes on in an organisation are interpreted as a special form of service meeting certain quality standards. The corresponding quality of the service can be determined in the project based on specific quality criteria and procedures for service quality.The establishment of this service in the form of a digital coach task field is interpreted as a special innovation in the project. In doing so, the article explores the question of the extent to which the implementation of the digital coach task field succeeds. To investigate this scientifically, a questionnaire was developed in several workshops with the project partners and experts from the field. The aim is to explore the possibilities and limits of establishing the task field of the digital coach in organisations and companies.The following question was investigated: What resistances and potentials can arise from the perspective of the organisational members when establishing the field of activity of the digital coach in the organisation? The respondents could choose between 16 items and give an assessment of the importance and the changeability of the potentials and resistances against the background of the implementation in the organisation. There was also the possibility to name and rank further potentials and resistances. Finally, suggestions were worked out on how to deal with the respective opportunities and barriers in a suitable way. A total of 40 questionnaires from four EU countries were available for evaluation. The evaluation of the survey was carried out with the help of the SPSS programme. Means, standard deviations, T-tests, effect sizes and factor analyses were carried out.As an example, the results of some items on resistance are discussed: Item 2 "It is unclear which organisational members the DC should ask in the organisation in order to gain knowledge about the processes relevant to digital transformation" is rated as changeable in a pronounced way, but at the same time not considered as important. Item 11 "It is often not easy to make the success of the DC's work visible" is also seen as easy to change, but as not very problematic. In contrast, item 12 "Since some organisational members reject or even resist change, there is a risk that the changes proposed by the DC will be viewed critically with the consequence that they will ultimately not be adopted" is seen as one of the greatest resistances. At the same time, this item is seen as the least changeable. Based on the results, concrete strategies for action can be derived and developed so that the establishment of the field of activity of the digital coach as an innovative service in organisations is successful.