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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how Industry 4.0 (I40) technologies support workers' engagement in soft total quality management (TQM) practices for organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multiple case study of six Italian manufacturing organisations that operate with I40 production and implement TQM practices. The authors concentrated on the relationship between I40 technologies and soft TQM aspects.FindingsI40 technologies provide two forms of engagement with workers. Workers can act as machine supervisors and expert assembly operators. Organisations use five soft TQM practices to involve and develop workers for TQM that vary according to automation levels. The five soft TQM practices are top management design around workers, incremental trials with I40 technologies, worker empowerment, I40 sociotechnical collaboration and individual feedback systems.Originality/valueIn the literature that focusses primarily on how I40 technologies support the hard side of TQM by creating a data-driven and automated quality management system, the authors illustrate how the workforce can be engaged in I40 with five soft TQM practices to improve organisational performance. Thus, the authors complement the theory of hard and soft TQM aspects for I40 production systems.

In this contribution main concepts, tools and methods that distinguish citizen science are discussed in order to build a theoretical framework applicable to empirical cases study. The term citizen science refers to a set of methodological approaches for the engagement of volunteered participants in scientific research activities mainly related to environmental monitoring and assessment and spatial planning. The distinctive character of citizen science is transdisciplinarity. This concept indicates the integration of different scientific backgrounds and methods for science-driven solution-oriented applications to solve a specific problem that requires support and engagement of a wide range of potential non expert users and actors.The theoretical insights deriving from the review are tested at an empirical level on a pilot case study for estimating water levels in small basins, where the use of traditional monitoring tools is a real challenge due to the unstable morphological conditions of the riverbeds and the difficult-to-access environments of ephemeral and intermittent streams. In order to overcome such practical limitations, recently a technique based on image analysis was introduced, based on a white pole and its pictures taken by a phototrap (i.e. named stage-cam sensor). To calibrate such tool, the contribution of non-expert volunteers is fundamental. Indeed, they are recruited to perform a visual analysis of a continuous series of images to create a set of observations to use as benchmark for the image-analysis algorithm calibration. The study is based on the pilot case of the secondary basin of Montecalvello, located in the municipality of Graffignano (Viterbo Province), about 100 km north of Rome. The volunteers have been recruited by the student community of the University of Tuscia. Preliminary results presented here show the significant opportunities as well as the challenges of citizen engagement for water monitoring in remote areas. The presented transdisciplinary framework is also discussed, as linked to the presented preliminary results, underlying the multiple benefits of general public volunteering in similar research projects, paving the way for increased awareness, science literacy, engagement and distributed participation for environmental sustainability and safety.

Earth and water monitoring and observation systems provide open geo data to scientists and professionals supporting distributed knowledge of major hydromet dynamics and extremes. Mobile technologies, at the same time, are empowering citizens who are nowadays informed and involved in volunteering actions designed and implemented to make our communities more safe and sustainable. Citizen science, as a consequence, is gaining momentum empowering the general public, from the “pleasure of doing science” to complementing observations, increasing scientific literacy, and supporting collaborative behaviour to solve specific water-related challenges. This work illustrates a conceptual transdisciplinary assessment model that was designed with the goal of standardizing the use of citizen science for advancing hydrology. This work was promoted by the Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY) Working Group established by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), and that is composed by a diverse group of hydrological, computer and social science experts. A community paper (Nardi et al., in press) presented the conceptualization of this transdisciplinary framework by identifying the shared constituents, interfaces and interlinkages between hydrological sciences and other academic and non-academic disciplines. Particular emphasis was given to the integration of human sensing and behavioural mechanisms into citizen science programs addressing hydrological problems. The proposed CANDHY transdisciplinary framework is here further tested and applied to assess some selected citizen science programs to understand the knowledge gaps and opportunities arising from ongoing citizen science programs. This comparative assessment shows some interesting preliminary results demonstrating the capacity of the proposed framework in homogenizing and accumulating knowledge from the collaboration of diverse participatory programs addressing similar or complementary hydrological challenges. Nardi F. et al., in press. Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY): conceptualizing a transdisciplinary framework for citizen science addressing hydrological challenges. Hydrological Sciences Journal, https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2020.1849707

Widely available digital technologies are empowering citizens who are increasingly well informed and involved in numerous water, climate, and environmental challenges. Citizen science can serve many different purposes, from the "pleasure of doing science" to complementing observations, increasing scientific literacy, and supporting collaborative behaviour to solve specific water management problems. Still, procedures on how to incorporate citizens' knowledge effectively to inform policy and decision-making are lagging behind. Moreover, general conceptual frameworks are unavailable, preventing the widespread uptake of citizen science approaches for more participatory cross-sectorial water governance. In this work, we identify the shared constituents, interfaces, and interlinkages between hydrological sciences and other academic and non-academic disciplines in addressing water issues. Our goal is to conceptualize a transdisciplinary framework for valuing citizen science and advancing the hydrological sciences. Joint efforts between hydrological, computer, and social sciences are envisaged for integrating human sensing and behavioural mechanisms into the framework. Expanding opportunities of online communities complement the fundamental value of on-site surveying and indigenous knowledge. This work is promoted by the Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY) Working Group established by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS).

In this study, we explore the consequences of Industry 4.0 adoption in the workplace. Industry 4.0 refers to a set of technologies for the assembly line, which allows increasing automation on operational and decision-making activities. The literature agrees on the positive impact that Industry 4.0 technologies have on the production process. We find in the literature contradictory results on the role of labour and the changes consequent to the adoption of the technologies. To address this gap, we performed a multiple case study of three Italian manufacturing organisations. Findings show the positive consequences of Industry 4.0 technologies and how the management addresses the negative social consequences of Industry 4.0.

International audience; In this study, we analyse the value creation of Industry 4.0 (I40) technologies in flexible manufacturing (FM) under a sustainability perspective. I40 is a popular strategy that Western manufacturing organizations adopt to face competition from low-cost producers. Organizations adopting I40 use advanced digital technologies to make production processes more flexible and increasingly automated. Several pieces of evidence confirm how I40 leads to higher productivity and higher-quality products, improving the economic performance of organizations. However, increasing automation may also lead to the reduction of human labour in the production process, which may contribute to the disappearance of jobs, the reduction of expertise and the loss of know-how in manufacturing organizations. While the literature acknowledges the technical and economic advantages of I40, the sustainability of the value created through these technologies deserves further investigation. To address the gap, we complement the IT value theory with the concept of sustainability, including the three dimensions of economic, environmental and social sustainability. We perform a multiple case study analysis of four Italian manufacturing organizations that have successfully implemented I40 technologies in FM. The cases show that I40 technologies support sustainable organizational value when they are deployed with a worker-centric approach. In this condition, the organization leverages workforce activities to continuously fine-tune the technologies and to exploit the adaptive features of the technologies to continuously improve processes.

This work intends to lay the foundations for a theoretical framework of citizen science combining social and organizational implications with the support of information technologies. The proposed theoretical framework moves towards a shared and common research process between experts and citizens to deal with environmental and social challenges. The role and capacity of online communities is explored and their engagement capacity by means of web-based digital platforms supporting crowdsourcing activities. In this contribution, authors highlight the most common practices, methods and issues of citizen science approaches adopted from multidisciplinary application fields to obtain insights for designing a new participative approach for organizational studies. To reach this goal, authors illustrate the results of a systematic meta-review analysis, consisting of an accurate selection and revision of journal review articles in order to highlight concepts, methods, research design approaches and tools adopted in citizen science approaches.

To respond to increased competition, manufacturing organisations have started developing digital ecosystems within a supply chain by adopting Industry 4.0 technologies. That approach promises to improve organisational efficiency by automating operations and decision-making activities. The development of the digital ecosystem passes through vertical and horizontal integrations of technologies. Vertical integration represents the integration of various organisational units, and it is a milestone in the process of reaching horizontal integration where different organisations integrate their production processes in a supply chain. The extant literature reveals that the vertical integration of an organisation is challenging to achieve, as the adoption process of Industry 4.0 employs a technocentric perspective without considering the way that technology users can cause strong workforce resistance against Industry 4.0 adoption. The sociotechnical perspective addresses this issue by considering both technology and users during the adoption process. Therefore, this paper illustrates the applicability of the sociotechnical approach to an in-depth single case study of an Italian manufacturing group which successfully adopted Industry 4.0 technologies. We show the adoption process of Industry 4.0 technologies, highlighting the outcome of the adoption and proposing sociotechnical enabling factors that assist in achieving vertical integration.

International audience; Our study examines how the topic of sustainable value creation of Industry 4.0 employs the social-technical perspective. Sustainable value creation of Industry 4.0 is an emerging topic in the IS literature. The topic extends the IT value, a core topic of IS, focusing on the sustainable outcome of these leading-edge technologies adopted into the assembly line of manufacturing organisations called Industry 4.0. We conducted a meta-review of three systematic literature reviews of this topic from which we extracted 23 empirical case studies. We address this gap employing the socio-technical framework. The study revealed that the technical perspective in prominent in literature, but socio-technical perspective studies exist. We further propose research directions to make more socio-technical the discourse.

Several industrial initiatives around the globe usher in the Fourth Industrial Revolution that points at the deployment of a Smart Factory. A Smart Factory builds on several advanced digital technologies to integrate the production process within and across organizations. The literature asserts that Smart Factory increased efficiency and production outcome. While the technical aspects of the Smart Factory are quite extensively studied, few pieces of research paid attention to the competencies that organizations need to manage a Smart Factory. Therefore, we develop a competence framework for handling Smart Factory from a systematic literature review of Smart Factory empirical cases. We contribute to the literature proposing a framework with six competences areas.

In recent years, there has been a radical change in the world of teaching and training. This is causing numerous schools, universities and companies to adopt the most modern Information and Communication Technologies, mainly based on the Web, for distance education. Moreover, the widespread use of web-based environments is producing a considerable volume of data which could be used to monitor the learning processes to improve them. While Educational Data Mining analyzes this data from a technical point of view, Learning Analytics focuses on educational aspects to optimize online learning opportunities, involving all the stakeholders. In this paper, we present a case study concerning the analysis of data generated by a learning process, in a Learning Management System (LMS). The main goal is to test a particular Business Intelligence platform, the Knime platform, to extract hidden significant educational features from data. The case study strengthens our approach, with interesting pedagogical results.

Manufacturing organisations are adopting Industry 4.0 (I40) technologies to automate decision making and operational tasks down the assembly line. Manufacturing organisations can achieve benefits at the level of capital and labour welfare through a more optimised production process, stable employment and enriched duties for workers. Nevertheless, the benefits of I40 adoption produce on the capital could be detrimental for the labour welfare. I40 automation can lead to job disruption, impoverishment of workforce roles and expertise along the production process. There is a lack of studies that explores how organisations adopt I40 technologies to reach a fair balance between capital and labour welfare benefits because management privileges the I40 automation potential over the workforce role in I40 adoption. We address this gap by conducting a single case study of the Italian production branch of an international manufacturing organisation adopting I40 technologies. The results show that organisations achieve a fair balance between capital and labour welfare benefits by deploying I40 technologies with a worker-centric approach. I40 assembly line operates with a sociotechnical interplay between technologies and workers. I40 technologies automate repetitive and dangerous activities, and workers reduce routine work and enrich their duties taking on supervision activities on the assembly line. To this end, workers are trained to acquire digital competencies and maintain a higher level of knowledge of the production activities.

There is an increasing interest in Industry 4.0 (I40) applications for organizations to act sustainable. Indeed literature agrees the adoption of I40 technologies promises various organizational benefits which lead to the achievement of an enduring sustainability and competitive advantage for organizations. However, there is a lack of a study which provides transparency confirming and summarizing those spawned organizational benefits. This paper aims at addressing this gap performing a systematic literature review analyzing I40 empirical case studies for detecting the spawned I40 organizational impacts on sustainability. We employed the triple bottom line (TBL) concept as sensitive device to confront different studies distinguishing among the sustainability dimensions, namely the economic, social and environmental dimensions. We then categorize and group I40 organizational impacts according to TBL dimensions. The review portrays an initial empirical knowledge regarding the I40 organizational impacts on sustainability since 18 I40 empirical case study have found. Furthermore, the literature review reveals that I40 applications mainly impact the economic dimension whereas few applications generated benefits for the remaining dimensions.

Our teaching case introduces the story of how the Italian Five Star Movement used digital technologies in the growth from a personal blog discussing politics back in 2005 to the most voted party in the Italian election in 2018, becoming part of the government. The Italian Five Star Movement is among the largest eParticipation initiatives globally. It is (almost) totally organized through the use of digital platforms. Members form online communities and are continuously invited to discuss and make decisions that end up into Italian politics. Adopting a chronological perspective, we describe the development of the Italian Five Star Movement, focusing on their use of digital technologies at various stages and for various purposes. The case illustrates the growth of online communities and the advent of a social movement organization within the political sphere, and how to organize for members to discuss and make political decisions online. Furthermore, it demonstrates the growth of online communities and opportunities and challenges faced with such a quick progress. Paid Open Access UNIT agreement

Critical thinking is as a systematic habit of being able to question information, confront different information sources seeking diversity of points of view, understanding statements, and being able to make inferences out of information. Critical thinking is an active behavior against information processing which influences in a positive way individual and organizational decision making. While we can observe different levels of critical thinking in different individuals, millennials are reputed to possess low critical thinking skills given their habit of passively receiving information through social media. In this paper, we study the critical thinking skills of millennials, and we explore the level of critical thinking shown in relation to the reported intensity of use of social media and other traditional media for information acquisition. The paper is based on a quantitative analysis of an incidental sample of 424 millennials.

Several studies state information systems lead to organizational benefits improving organization efficiency and effectiveness. Cloud computing is nowadays an established strategy for adopting IS potentially providing many benefits. Among them IT costs savings are the most evident ones. However, literature remarks that the realisation of organizational benefits depends on contextual organizational factors and requires organizational change. Whether a cloud computing based strategy for IS delivers organizational benefits or just contributes to costs reduction can be disputed. Taking this point of view, the paper presents the results of an exploratory comparative study analysing 23 cases of different enterprises who run a cloud computing strategy. Using fs/QCA as a method of analysis in a multiple cases setting, the research paper explores the organizational benefits following cloud adoption other than cost savings.