Developing an Implementation Process Model and Logic of Weakly Structured Systems

Despite the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), productivity growth akin to past Industrial Revolutions has not occurred. Guidance for implementing 4IR technologies uses the logic developed from the three previous Industrial Revolutions. However, the nature of the technology has changed, particularly the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). We carried out an exploratory case study in a medium-sized manufacturing firm that has used an IIoT system for six years to understand the implementation process and logic. This case study analyzes the patterns of practices, rules, and IT system uses. This analysis demonstrates that, in contrast to previous manufacturing IT systems, the implementation and assimilation of IIoT develops from individual practices to organizational rules embedded in the IT and around its use. We propose a process model for the implementation of IIoT and develop the implementation logic for these types of systems with few organizational rules embedded in them.