SOURCES OF IMPROVEMENT OF USERS' COMPETENCIES WHILE CLOUD SOLUTIONS ARE BEING INTRODUCED INTO MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

Cloud computing as a relatively new information and communication technology (ICT) introduces a change in the way companies conduct business by offering them new opportunities. Organizations operating on the market that decide to implement cloud computing solutions in their daily work must take into account the size of the changes. Such a change, although it seems to be only a technological change, also affects the change of the company’s technological processes, which is not without an impact on the organization of the company, also causing changes in its structure. In the face of such extensive changes in the company, the competences of employees must also change. The research question posed for the purpose of this study concerns the methods of acquiring new competences by employees, necessary in the face of a change in the organization in the form of the implementation of cloud solutions for everyday work. The results of the conducted research indicate that the most commonly used method is the training of key users (used in 59.25% of the 400 companies surveyed). Other significant statistical data are presented in the article. Purpose: The research question posed for the purpose of this study concerns the methods of acquiring new competences by employees, necessary in the face of a change in the organization in the form of the implementation of cloud solutions for everyday work in Polish production companies. Methodology: The CATI survey (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) was used as the research method with the return rate of 0.7966% (400 companies). Findings: The results of the conducted research indicate that the most commonly used method is the training of key users (used in 59.25% of the surveyed companies). Only 0.0225 of the surveyed companies use “other” methods than the proposals listed in the survey to improve competences (key users training, all users training, learning by reading manuals and e-learning training), which leads to questions about the reason for such a low diversity of introduced methods. Implications/limitations: The conducted research helps to determine the method of raising the competences most frequently used by companies during cloud implementation. Outcomes also allow practitioners to customize the training offer of competences rising directed to key users. 19 SOURCES OF IMPROVEMENT OF USERS’ Magdalena Zalewska-Turzyńska The type of necessary competences may be an important criterion for choosing the method of obtaining them – this needs verification. Moreover covid situation has changed attitude towards remote methods of raising employee competences (this also needs further research). Originality/value: This paper contains the results of research on the methods chosen by employers to raise employee competences when implementing cloud solutions in Polish manufacturing companies.