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