TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of lean, agility and learning ambidexterity in Industry 4.0 implementations
AU - Nakandala, Dilupa
AU - Elias, Arun
AU - Hurriyet, Hilal
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s)
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - There is an increasing interest in understanding the interdependencies between conventional lean and agile implementations and Industry 4.0 technology adoptions. Our knowledge of how they interact and enable Industry 4.0 implementations in learning organisations is still immature. Informed by the Strategic Momentum Theory and the contextual ambidexterity framework, this paper empirically investigates the effects of lean and agile implementations on Industry 4.0 technology adoptions with exploratory and exploitative learning as mediators. Using the data collected from an online survey of 166 Australian firms and analysed using the PLS-SEM method, we found that only lean practices have significant and positive direct effects on Industry 4.0 implementations, and exploitative learning partially mediates the relationship. We also found that agility does not have direct effects on Industry 4.0 implementations, and exploitative learning fully mediates their relationship. However, the mediating role of exploratory learning is not empirically confirmed. This study confirms several recent exploratory research studies that found evidence for the significant role lean implementations play in Industry 4.0 technology adoption. Agile practices need to first translate into exploitative learning. The findings inform practitioners that firms with investments in lean, agility and exploitative learning capability development will have advantages in technology implementations.
AB - There is an increasing interest in understanding the interdependencies between conventional lean and agile implementations and Industry 4.0 technology adoptions. Our knowledge of how they interact and enable Industry 4.0 implementations in learning organisations is still immature. Informed by the Strategic Momentum Theory and the contextual ambidexterity framework, this paper empirically investigates the effects of lean and agile implementations on Industry 4.0 technology adoptions with exploratory and exploitative learning as mediators. Using the data collected from an online survey of 166 Australian firms and analysed using the PLS-SEM method, we found that only lean practices have significant and positive direct effects on Industry 4.0 implementations, and exploitative learning partially mediates the relationship. We also found that agility does not have direct effects on Industry 4.0 implementations, and exploitative learning fully mediates their relationship. However, the mediating role of exploratory learning is not empirically confirmed. This study confirms several recent exploratory research studies that found evidence for the significant role lean implementations play in Industry 4.0 technology adoption. Agile practices need to first translate into exploitative learning. The findings inform practitioners that firms with investments in lean, agility and exploitative learning capability development will have advantages in technology implementations.
UR - https://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:77543
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196301123&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123533
DO - 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123533
M3 - Article
SN - 0040-1625
VL - 206
JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
JF - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
M1 - 123533
ER -