Digital competences of human resources of organizations and competitiveness of SME enterprises

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to assess the impact of digital competences of employees on the level of SME enterprise competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach: The reasoning is based on the results of the research conducted in 2020 on a group of 140 Polish production companies employing up to 249 employees. During the research the author’s survey questionnaire was used, which enabled the assessment of competitiveness of enterprises and digital competences of the respondents. After formal evaluation of the collected data, they were subjected to appropriate statistical analysis using the Statistica 13.3 program. Findings: The study indicated that not all the areas in which employees have digital skills determine the level of enterprise competitiveness, however, digital competences in the area of sale, communication and promotion, customer management and in the area of the market and competition have a positive impact on the level of competitiveness of production companies. Research limitations/implications: The research conducted on a group of production companies in southern Poland has its limitations, which is too small research group, however, the author is planning to continue the research into competitiveness of enterprises of the SME sector, which will enable greater exploration of the research problem undertaken. In the future, the research on a larger research group is planned as well as international research to identify the factors of competitiveness of enterprises operating in European countries. Practical implications: The results of the research make it possible to indicate for business management practitioners which digital abilities of enterprise employees positively determine the company's competitiveness. Originality/value: The novelty of the research the analysis of selected digital competences of enterprise employees and their impact on the market competitiveness of organizations in the SME sector. The results of the research can be used by managers and owners of enterprises in the analyzed sector.