From Manual Automation to Hyperconnection: The Evolution and Development of Organizational Processes in Industry 4.0

Introduction

In recent years, the analysis of processes related to administrative and management sciences has taken on particular relevance for various multidisciplinary (and in some cases interdisciplinary) studies due to the growing interest in how these processes, which develop internally within an industry, and respectively but not necessarily, an organization, impact and interact with the complex and constant network of changes we are experiencing in the “digital” and “interconnected” era that we are going through.

Naturally, fulfilling a task, function, or job service is linked to a way of proceeding with its execution, that is, that which structures certain work actions in an orderly and specific way intending to complete what is produced most satisfactorily. From the above, it is understood that every organizational process focuses on making something specific, with that “something” as the primary cause for said process. However, not all procedures are linear and self-conclusive. The larger the operation, the greater the number of different techniques (connected by a series of links) that will produce this productive conclusion.

Nonetheless, it is impossible to homogenize and summarize every organizational process into a succession of beginning, development, and end based on the production it pursues, especially since, although it has been exposed that this is the medullary purpose of the existence of a process, they are also linked to social, cultural, scientific, political, and specific technological changes.

Within administrative sciences, the study of the evolution, advancement, and way of executing organizational processes can be divided into trends or labor “fads” adopted and labeled by waves, starting from industry 1.0 (mechanization as a predecessor to automation) and currently going through industry 4.0 (total automation via hyperconnectivity and IoT).

Technology, being something that has developed in parallel and inherent to human beings, has been applied in administrative, labor, and organizational dimensions to simplify, facilitate, and increase the action of working and, with this, allow to increase production than would be obtained by performing a manual process. Since the beginning and boom of devices capable of performing different types of readings and connections with each other and the Internet, the focus on structuring an organizational process has changed radically due to all the possibilities this allows. In recent years, the number of devices connected to the Internet has increased because of the trend toward incorporating connectivity mechanisms into everyday objects to transmit or receive data. These networks and devices are related to a Computer Science Area: The Internet of Things (IoT).

Nowadays, the miniaturization of computing devices and the ubiquity of their use have brought new ways to transform industries. In addition to incorporating the IoT devices, Context-Aware information aligned with the organization's objectives is required to wisely improve and provide relevant information, notify that something is going wrong, or interact with the devices remotely. Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp), Ambient Intelligence (AmI), and Intelligent Environments (IEs) are three different areas that perform research related to this. The IoT device's main objective in the Industry is to collect data related to and generated in various processes to increase their autonomy and assist the decision-makers in improving the products' efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. There has been growing interest in identifying Activities and Actions in this kind of system, mainly related to the well-being of the workers in different environments. For this to happen, it is essential to consider the context and daily processes in the industry environment.

The Internet of things can be incorporated into agriculture, energy systems, smart cities, smart infrastructure, and health services. However, it is also applied prominently in the industrial environment by incorporating IoT devices in industrial automation processes, giving rise to the Industrial Internet of Things or Industry 4.0. It is essential to highlight that the research agenda for this area has been focused on improving networking and communication technology, data management, security, privacy, and power consumption to minimize expenses and increase feasibility, particularly in industries in emerging countries.