Maturity Models in Industrial Internet: a Review

The introduction of assembly lines in industrial plants marked the beginning of the third industrial revolution. The support of information technology has enabled continuous progresses, up to the digitalisation of the processes. In this context, the further innovation characterised by the introduction of Cyber-Physical Systems and other enabling technologies has allowed the fourth industrial revolution. Proposed by the German government, Industry 4.0 appealed to both researchers and practitioners. Since the appearance of the term Industry 4.0, the linked-term Industrial Internet has been introduced to indicate the technology stack and knowledge management required by Industry 4.0. Industrial Internet makes a factory smart by applying advanced information and communication systems and future-oriented technologies, as well as new principles of knowledge management. Undeniably, such a system introduces greater complexity in terms of technologies, knowledge and socio-cultural aspects. Companies are often unprepared to deal with innovation issues, because they lack knowledge and competences and they are not culturally prepared for the relative novelties, but especially because they lack the necessary technological pre-requisites to develop the appropriate technology stack. From this perspective, different models of maturity have been developed, both in academic and technical environments, to support companies in understanding their position within the paradigm of the Industrial Internet. Starting from a quantitative review of the maturity models designed in the general literature, this article develops a qualitative review of the models applied in Industry 4.0, characterising all relevant models and proposing future perspectives to improve existing models and develop new ones

Approaching Business Systems through the Lens of Knowledge Management Technologies

Any business system is designed to achieve the business strategy. It can be reached by connecting all an organization’s parts and processes to work together effectively and efficiently. Knowledge management technologies can facilitate it to a great extent. These technologies are essential for contemporary organizations to become and grow successfully in the marketplace. However, the level at which the organization applies these technologies varies. The approach on how to analyze business systems from a knowledge management technologies perspective is essential because of the rapid change of the business environment in which effective and efficient business strategy seeks to be implemented. Knowledge management technologies are enablers to simplify knowledge identification; acquisition of knowledge; knowledge development; knowledge sharing and dissemination; use of knowledge; knowledge preservation, and others. There are endless cycles of information transfer. Knowledge management processes ensure the smooth transfer and use of knowledge in organizations. The paper aims to present the approach to valuing business systems from a knowledge management technologies perspective. As the term knowledge management technologies is complex and confusing, first based on a literature review, the analysis of how to classify those technologies is performed. The business system is analyzed from a socio-technical system perspective and an approach to valuing it is presented. The paper contributes with these findings: 1) provides the results of scientific analysis on approaches to how to classify knowledge management technologies, 2) determines an approach to valuing business systems from a knowledge management technologies perspective consisting of five-level maturity construct. Based on the approach in the future, the evaluation methodology will be constructed. As the paper provides the theoretical background of the business system evaluation strategy from a knowledge management technologies perspective, the future work will incorporate the development of the method for practical applications

Aligning people, processes and technology: recurring issues in the design and implementation of eLearning, eHealth and eBusiness infrastructure

This PhD by published works explores recurring issues in the design and implementation of eLearning, eBusiness and eHealth infrastructure at scale. It takes a socio-technical systems perspective on recurring issues in design/implementation, drawing on qualitative and collaborative research over a decade.The topic is relevant to policy and practice in an increasingly digitally-mediated economy where costs and risks are high, and where the scaling of systems across multiple distributed communities reconfigures work practices in ways which have implications for implementation, for policy, for research and for professional development.The thesis reviews design and implementation problems that cut across these three domains and some of their implications in these areas. It draws conclusions about the importance of involving users more inclusively in the research, redesign and management process (a) as a means of ensuring more cost-effective design, and (b) as a vehicle for managing a change process that reconfigures, roles, risks and resource allocation.It contextualises the research in an extensive review of the literature, showing how evolving visions / paradigms have shaped the way technical and human infrastructures are aligned in system design - from closed systems through to more generative and open systems that leverage the local knowledge and agency of user communities to greater advantage.The publications contribute to the emerging body of literature on the alignment of the social and the technical in digital systems, the evolution of different paradigms, and the development of strategy in this regard. It is also intended to have more direct practical applied value in flagging the recurring socio-technical and socio-political issues that impact on the success of investments in IT in the public sector, and the potential for transfer of these experiences across domains and across regions

A strategic niche management approach for shaping bio-based economy in Europe

The goal of this paper is to investigate the transition towards a bio-based economy as part of a broader sustainable transition in Europe. To analyse the challenges and opportunities associated with the bio-based economy, we applied the Strategic Niche Management approach to investigate the drivers that boost the emergence of the bio-based economy, the factors hindering it, as well as institutional changes which are at the base of the socio-technological transition. Although considered as just one piece of the sustainability puzzle, the bio-based economy behaves as a socio-technical system on its own, providing valuable hints on systemic transitions

Manufacturing management of advanced technologies

This Thesis is published for the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Adelaide as a requirement for a Master of Engineering Science Degree. The focus of the research is based on Management of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. The Thesis was compiled on a part-time basis from 1990 to 1994. During this period rapid changes to Australia's economy occurred as Australia continued to disengage itself from European connections and commenced to attached itself to the Asian and Pacific Rim nations. Also the O.E.C.D. countries experienced a massive downturn in demand and Australia experienced the "Recession we had to have", as stated by our Prime Minister, Mr Paul Keating who at the time of the statement was the Federal Treasurer of the Australian Government. These factors plus the globalisation of competition put immense strains on Australia's manufacturers, and their competitive situation deteriorated seriously. This Thesis researches some aspects of management of Advance Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) that manufacturers should consider to help them become competitive in a global market. To get a perspective on the importance of Manufacturing Trade to Australia, statistics from the Balance of Payments (BOP) and the Manufacturing Trade Balance are discussed. A typical listing of AMT's is described and two additional technologies are introduced, Activity Based Costing (ABC) and Socio Technical Systems (STS). Benchmarking and Best Practice also became prevalent activities in manufacturing circles during the course of study, hence they are also discussed. This Thesis is based on the belief that management (people) are the cause of failure of AMT's, not the AMT itself. Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRPII) was selected as the AMT to review for this Thesis, particularly how it has been managed, how it was selected, who was involved, what functions of the business were involved in making the system work, what depth of knowledge was available to make the MRP installation successful and what basic data was available. People make a system work, most research on MRP focuses on the technical review of the system, this Thesis reviews the people interaction in making a system useable. Functional cross relationships are reviewed together with emphasis on the basic system discipline and type of background people have who install and run systems. Training is important, this is reviewed together with techniques of how training was organised. A questionnaire was developed to assess industry in relationship to MRP management. Also included were some questions on Socio Technical Systems and Activity Based Costing, particularly Self-Managed Workteams (SMWT). The results are published in the text in questionnaire number sequence, followed by comments by the author, plus associated comments from collated written work on the topics from resources in Australia and overseas. The results show that there is a serious credibility gap in understanding the basic requirements of running a successful MRP system. They also show that existing forms of rating a MRP system are too complex for many Australian users and that a much simpler rating system could much more easily define progressive steps to being a successful MRP user. These are shown in the recommendations. Socio technical systems are discussed since installing any form of AMTs without considering people issues is a mistake. Many organisations are changing their current management structure by using SMWT, this is reviewed. Similarly the author believed ABC, was an AMT that would advance the pace of change in manufacturing, the results showed this was not the case. Recommendations are made for MRP users to use their systems and their people more effectively to meet the challenge of global manufacturing and conclusions are drawn that AMT's must be managed with acknowledgement that people's involvement in all phases of the use of the AMT should be a paramount consideration.Thesis (M.Ens.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 199

A strategic perspective for managing socio-technical systems: the missing link

Most man-made systems around us are mainly socio-technical systems. As such it is imperative that to manage such systems effectively we need to understand their properties at both the micro and macro level and the holistic functioning of such systems. Such an approach is important in understanding the emergent properties that are exhibited by such system. We already have been delving into the micro level and the intricacies of the different subsystems without actually having the broader view of the whole system. This current approach came from the fact that reductionism is the ‘mantra’ of our scientific nature and endeavours, and dictates how a problem is solved. In this paper a strategic approach is put forward, making use of the force field theory as a necessary missing component for designing and managing socio-technical systems. With this proposed strategic approach the true understanding of solving these emergent properties will be reinforced with what we already know and also help in solving some disorder exhibited in these systems, without creating more uncertainties. This paper sets out the framework and its usefulness to understanding the socio-technical systems around us

Tensions and paradoxes in electronic patient record research: a systematic literature review using the meta-narrative method

Background: The extensive and rapidly expanding research literature on electronic patient records (EPRs) presents challenges to systematic reviewers. This literature is heterogeneous and at times conflicting, not least because it covers multiple research traditions with different underlying philosophical assumptions and methodological approaches. Aim: To map, interpret and critique the range of concepts, theories, methods and empirical findings on EPRs, with a particular emphasis on the implementation and use of EPR systems. Method: Using the meta-narrative method of systematic review, and applying search strategies that took us beyond the Medline-indexed literature, we identified over 500 full-text sources. We used ‘conflicting’ findings to address higher-order questions about how the EPR and its implementation were differently conceptualised and studied by different communities of researchers. Main findings: Our final synthesis included 24 previous systematic reviews and 94 additional primary studies, most of the latter from outside the biomedical literature. A number of tensions were evident, particularly in relation to: [1] the EPR (‘container’ or ‘itinerary’); [2] the EPR user (‘information-processer’ or ‘member of socio-technical network’); [3] organizational context (‘the setting within which the EPR is implemented’ or ‘the EPR-in-use’); [4] clinical work (‘decision-making’ or ‘situated practice’); [5] the process of change (‘the logic of determinism’ or ‘the logic of opposition’); [6] implementation success (‘objectively defined’ or ‘socially negotiated’); and [7] complexity and scale (‘the bigger the better’ or ‘small is beautiful’). Findings suggest that integration of EPRs will always require human work to re-contextualize knowledge for different uses; that whilst secondary work (audit, research, billing) may be made more efficient by the EPR, primary clinical work may be made less efficient; that paper, far from being technologically obsolete, currently offers greater ecological flexibility than most forms of electronic record; and that smaller systems may sometimes be more efficient and effective than larger ones. Conclusions: The tensions and paradoxes revealed in this study extend and challenge previous reviews and suggest that the evidence base for some EPR programs is more limited than is often assumed. We offer this paper as a preliminary contribution to a much-needed debate on this evidence and its implications, and suggest avenues for new research