Human capital management – values, competencies, and motivation – concerning Industry 4.0

The article aims to determine the current situation in economic subjects (ESs), what values and competencies are for managers and executives, and what motivational factors are essential for financial entities in the era of Industry 4.0. The article used standard scientific methods, such as analysis, synthesis, induction, and deduction, but also methods, such as content analysis of professional and scientific literature, comparison, modelling, and basic statistical methods, which verified the dependencies between the selected elements. The article processes data from a questionnaire survey conducted in 2020 (905 respondents) and 2021 (561 respondents). The respondents who filled out the questionnaire survey were managers or owners of ESs, which are based in Slovakia and are classified as micro, small, medium, or large enterprises. We found in the study that there is a dependence between the employment orientation of managers and the use of career motivation factors, as well as between the passion for work and the creativity of employees, and between the technological and IT skills of managers and executive employees. It is surprising that ES in Slovakia consider soft skills more important than technological ones despite the pressure to support and develop people’s digital skills.