Organizational Barriers to the Operator 4.0, Operator 5.0 and Human-Centricity Paradigms: A Mixed Methods Study

This study addresses the limitations associated with the adoption of Operator 4.0, Operator 5.0, and human-centricity within manufacturing environments. Specifically, it examines the organizational barriers to the implementation of Operator 4.0, Operator 5.0, and the human-centricity paradigms. The study employed a mixed method, two-step Qualitative → Quantitative design where qualitative data analysis was integrated with advanced AI-based text-mining techniques. The findings indicate that the successful implementation of human-centricity necessitates addressing some fundamental organizational barriers, particularly those related to leadership approaches, operational efficiency, and the cognitive load of the operator. The results reveal that the most significant barriers are management-related, suggesting that technological solutions alone are insufficient without corresponding human-centric cultural changes. The categorization of organizational barriers into strong, moderate, and weak provides insight into the systemic and individual challenges that hinder the transition to a human-centric organization and the transition towards Operator 5.0 with a focus on the human-centric part.