Towards a Multidisciplinary Research Framework for studying the Digital Transformation of Industry

  • Ezra Dessers HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven.
  • Steven Dhondt TNO; Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven.
  • Monique Ramioul HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium
  • Joris De Schutter KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Research Group; Flanders Make, Core Lab ROB
  • Liliane Pintelon KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering
  • Wilm Decré KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Research Group; Flanders Make, Core Lab ROB
  • Wouter Van Bockhaven Antwerp Management School; Universiteit Antwerpen
  • Wim Coreynen Antwerp Management School (AMS), Antwerp, Belgium; Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS), ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
  • Michiel De Looze TNO; Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • Geert Van Hootegem HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46364/ejwi.v5i1.523

Abstract

The manufacturing industry is increasingly regarded as an essential ingredient of an ecosystem of production of goods and services. Key enabling technologies are considered to be the motors behind the ongoing digital transformation of industry. Given that there are still a number of open questions that need to be addressed in order to develop successful strategies for further implementation of these technologies, and to understand how workplace innovation plays a role in the digital transformation of industry, this paper seeks to design a comprehensive research approach and explains how this approach is applied in the PARADIGMS 4.0 research project on the digital transformation of industry in the region of Flanders, Belgium. Based on the identification of current knowledge gaps, research questions are defined on the topics of technology and work organisation, skills and participation, organisational and regional strategies, and labour market impact. A multi-level, multi-disciplinary, multi-method and multi-stakeholder research design was developed in order to study these topics in an integrated way. While this innovative comprehensiveness is seen as a major strength, it is acknowledged that the research design comes with certain risks that need to be tackled.

Author Biographies

Ezra Dessers, HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven.

Prof. dr. Ezra Dessers is assistant professor and research manager at HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium. His research is focused on the relation between people, organisations and technology, in various societal domains. He is currently the project manager of Paradigms 4.0, a multidisciplinary research project on the digital transformation of industry. He has coordinated multiple research projects in the domain of integrated care, and is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Care Coordination.

Steven Dhondt, TNO; Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven.

Prof. dr. Steven Dhondt is currently senior researcher at TNO and professor at the University of Leuven (Belgium). His main focus is on the impacts of the newest technologies on organisational and work practices. He currently is the scientific coordinator of two international projects on Work in Advanced Manufacturing (SBO Paradigms4.0; H2020 Beyond4.0). He is an advisor of the European Commission on the next research programme 2021-2029 Horizon Europe; member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the German research institute sozial-forshung-stelle TU Dortmund. He is co-editor of ‘Workplace innovation in the era of disruptive technologies’ (Special Issue International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2019). He uses a modern sociotechnical perspective on organisational change in his research.

Monique Ramioul, HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium
Prof. dr. Monique Ramioul is the head of the Research Group Work, Organisation and Social Dialogue at the Research Institute for Work and Society, HIVA - University of Leuven (Belgium). She is a sociologist and holds a PhD in Social Sciences. She teaches Organisation Sociology. Her main research interests include: organisational innovation, changes in work, jobquality and employment relations.
Joris De Schutter, KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Research Group; Flanders Make, Core Lab ROB

Prof. dr. ir. Joris De Schutter received the MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering from KU Leuven, in 1980, the MSc degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 1981, and the PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, also from KU Leuven, in 1986. Following work as a control systems engineer in industry, in 1986, he became a Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, where he has been a Full Professor since 1995, and currently head of the Department. His research interests include sensor-based robot control and programming, multi-sensor fusion and estimation, motion control and optimisation of mechanical and mechatronic drive systems, human motion modelling and human-robot interaction.

Liliane Pintelon, KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Prof. dr. ir. Liliane Pintelon’s research domain is industrial & systems engineering with a focus om performance modeling of (socio-)technical systems and installations under risk and with multiple stakeholder groups.  The research is mainly quantitative in nature.  The traditional application domain for this type of research is industry (maintenance strategy optimization, management of supporting resources, …).  Recently the research has been extended to healthcare logistics engineering (design and usage of medical devices, flow optimization, …).
Wilm Decré, KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Research Group; Flanders Make, Core Lab ROB

Dr. ir. Wilm Decré received the M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering and the Ph.D. degree in Engineering from KU Leuven, Belgium in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Currently he is focusing on the industry-oriented research activities of the Robotics and MECO (Motion, Estimation, Control and Optimisation) research teams as research manager and core lab manager within Flanders Make. His research interests include sensor-based and optimisation-based control of robot systems, robot (control) software design, human-intent estimation and programming by human demonstration, robust control of systems of interacting subsystems, learning control, etc.

Wouter Van Bockhaven, Antwerp Management School; Universiteit Antwerpen

Prof. dr. Wouter Van Bockhaven researches innovation ecosystems, institutional innovation in industrial markets, stakeholder mobilization for market development processes and the network strategies of entrepreneurs and innovators. He has been involved in qualitative and quantitative research in new market ecosystems in the smart ports area, in Dutch and Belgian B2B industries (pharmaceutics, diagnostics, medical devices, steel and electrotechnical installation industries) and among entrepreneurs and employees in Flanders. His research is rooted in a critical realist epistemological position.

Wim Coreynen, Antwerp Management School (AMS), Antwerp, Belgium; Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS), ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

Wim Coreynen is researcher at Antwerp Management School (AMS) in Belgium and the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS) in The Netherlands. His research revolves around the transformation of industrial companies through servitization, digitization and business model innovation, and also entrepreneurship.



Michiel De Looze, TNO; Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Prof. dr. Michiel De Looze is a researcher at TNO and a professor by special appointment in production ergonomics at the VU Amsterdam.

Geert Van Hootegem, HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven.
Prof. dr. Geert Van Hootegem is general director at HIVA - Research Institute for Work and Society. He is a full professor at KU Leuven. His research on teamwork, new sociotechnical systems design and quality of working life is widely published in academic and management journals. He is the founder of Flanders Synergy, a Belgian network of organisations that promotes workplace innovation. In 2013 he co-founded Prepared Mind, a consulting firm focusing on Total Workplace Innovation.
Published
2019-10-23
Issue
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2019): European Journal of Workplace Innovation
Section
Articles

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