Unlocking the IoT Potential in Manufacturing: An Organizational Analysis and Research Agenda

Early experimentation and analysis indicate that the Internet of Things represents a potential new paradigm shift from traditional manufacturing to “smart manufacturing”. Given this scenario, we propose an analysis of IoT from an organizational perspective, with a view to defining a future research agenda. First, we provide a brief macroeconomic overview of IoT innovations, describing the factors driving their development as well as currently unresolved issues. Second, we outline the potential of IoT to enhance manufacturing via new business models and production paradigms. Third, we discuss the critical challenges associated with implementing IoT models, in terms of the organizational traits, work organization, workforce characteristics, change management, and organizational relationships required for the potential of IoT to be fully realised. Finally, we discuss promising lines of enquiry and theoretical frameworks for future research programmes, with a view to defining an organizational research agenda with the power to address emerging organizational opportunities and issues in the area of smart manufacturing.