Digital Ambassador Qualification Program: Shaping digitalization together

In a one-week Digital Ambassador Qualification Program (DAQP), the first 19 participants completed the Digital Academy’s basic program.

Expert clusters on topics such as robotics were soon established in order to learn from each other and pursue topics together. Last year, a training curriculum was developed for employees who are not necessarily digitalization experts. At the beginning of February 2019, the first training took place in Kapfenberg. In a one-week Digital Ambassador Qualification Program (DAQP), the first 19 participants completed the Digital Academy’s basic program, says Project Manager Johannes Eichler, Global Digitalization Manager.

Imparting basic knowledge

The qualification program is targeted at first and second management levels, operations and production managers, maintenance staff and IT managers from production and sales companies in all regions of the High Performance Metals Division. However, the program is even beneficial for digitalization experts. Eichler explains, “It is important to understand that it is the employees who can promote the idea of digital transformation and make a difference in their organizations. Digitalization is not limited to technology, so we have put together a combination of technical and cultural topics to give them the tools they need.”

The intensive program includes modules on automation and robotics as well as on agile change management. “For every topic, we used the input of external specialists to supplement the voestalpine perspective,” comments Global Chief Digital Officer Michael Eder. “This allowed us to translate theory into practice and highlight challenges, insights and opportunities.”

After they have completed the DAQP, the Digital Academy would like to integrate all participants into the Division’s digital community, for example by having them participate in the expert clusters.

Common language for the digital community

“It was important to establish a common language on this topic. Now, the participants can work together and be ambassadors, translators and change agents for digitalization,” says Eder. The basic program is currently in great demand. As Johannes Eichler points out, “The fact that the pilot event was so well received is naturally making waves. The Metal Forming and Metal Engineering Divisions would also like to participate.” Starting in July, a program will be offered every two months. And the Digital Academy’s Deep Dive modules will go into more depth on special topics.

The FH Joanneum in Kapfenberg provides the DCC with organizational and program development support. Hands-on classes for the DAQP participants were held in the university’s Smart Production Lab.

Deep Dive modules

Like the Digital Ambassador Qualification Program, the Deep Dive modules will cover both technical and cultural topics. The first module will be on the “Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence Lab” of Alexander Pokorny, the expert for DCC Data Analytics. It will start in June and be followed by modules on “Agile Change” and “Cybersecurity”. Thomas Schober, the Division’s IT Security Manager, was also involved in the DAQP and designed the Deep Dive course on security: “Cybersecurity is one of the necessary pillars of digitalization. It offers many opportunities, but there are also risks. We want to hone the awareness of the participants so that they consider security issues in all digitalization projects.

Marion Drescher from Human Resources would like people to learn from her module that the Division’s digital journey is about more than just using the latest technologies: “In these times of increasing complexity and uncertainty, we have to respond even faster to changes. And that requires new management methods and approaches. That is why we have integrated modules into the DAQP that enable the participants to recognize the sense of urgency of the digital transformation and, in the next step, try out new, agile working methods and leadership approaches.”