Measuring barriers to digitalisation in the industry 4.0 environment: scale development and validation in manufacturing organisations

Purpose

The study aims to conceptualise, develop, and validate a multi-dimensional scale for barriers to digitalisation in manufacturing organisations within Industry 4.0 contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study follows a psychometric scale development procedure, including item generation, selection, refinement, and validation. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) are used to develop and refine the scale. Additionally, a competing model strategy is applied to identify the best-fitting and most parsimonious model for assessing barriers to digitalisation in Industry 4.0.

Findings

The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicate a five-dimensional factor structure of barriers to digitalisation. The comparison among different measurement models suggests that barriers to digitalisation can be operationalised as a second-order factor model involving five dimensions, namely, economic and financial barriers, cultural barriers, strategic barriers, behavioural barriers, and technological barriers, thereby offering a theoretical foundation for future empirical studies in the context of a digitalised supply chain.

Research limitations/implications

Unlike previous studies, this study contributes to the knowledge base by offering a better understanding of the multidimensionality and multifaceted structure of underlying barriers to digitalisation in the Industry 4.0 context, which can be helpful for future digitalisation research.

Originality/value

This study is one of the most relevant and up-to-date studies for developing a scale for assessing digitalisation barriers in an industry 4.0 context.