Chapter 4: Enhancing Business Agility in the Manufacturing Sector: The Role of Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies and Organisational Change

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which includes new technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and Automation, is now expected to bring improvement in business flexibility. This study anticipated a shift in emphasis towards the application of 4IR technologies to industrial change and business adaptability in Texas’ manufacturing industry. It focuses on the extent to which organisational change mediates the relationship between 4IR technologies and agility and identifies issues in the application of these innovations. Besides, quantitative data is gathered through questionnaires administered to 500 supply chain managers in different manufacturing industries in Texas. A survey that included a set of questions with a five-point Likert scale assessed the constructs in the study. To achieve this, the study used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) through SmartPLS3 to examine the direct, indirect, and mediating effects of the constructs. Specific identified patterns show that 4IR technologies increase business flexibility by aspects such as operational dynamism and market awareness.