Development of an instrument for the assessment of scenarios of work 4.0 based on socio-technical criteria

Abstract

The mechanical engineering and related industries are increasingly being dominated by information and communication technology, leading to the development of cyber-physical systems. However, these systems have to be seen from a broader angle, incorporating several other environmental factors such as the organizational structure or human factors. For this reason, the technology cannot be seen as solitary system, but should rather be included in the context of a scenario of work 4.0. These scenarios can help to classify new technologies, their advantages and constraints in order to provide guidance for the digital development of organizations. While several frameworks have been proposed in terms of technological guidance, most of them focus heavily on technology, neglecting their organizational- and human factors. In order to form a uniform understanding of the construct of industry 4.0, we developed an instrument for rating scenarios of work 4.0 on the relevant dimensions 'technology', 'human' and 'organization'. This paper describes the chosen relevant criteria including possible constraints we encountered. Future work on this topic will include the creation of profiles of scenarios of work 4.0, further validation of the criteria.