Collaborative technologies and project performance in manufacturing in the industry 4.0 environment: Mediating effect of individual, organizational, sociotechnical factors

Abstract

The use of collaborative technologies (CT) in the industry 4.0 environment has become ubiquitous. While industry practitioners acknowledge the positive influence of CT on operations and projects of their organizations, yet there seem to be insufficient scholarly insights into the link between CT and project performance (PP). Hence, this study deploys the resource dependence theory to posit the influence of CT on PP, along with mediating roles of the individual factors (IF), organizational factors (OF), and sociotechnical factors (STF) in the above relationship. A set of hypotheses is developed and tested through cross‐sectional survey data collected from 392 employees in managerial and supervisory roles, in manufacturing organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The analysis conducted through structural equation modeling using SmartPLS indicates that CT positively influences PP. Moreover, the study found that IF, OF, and STF are all significant mediators in the relationships between CT and perceived project performance (PPP). This study contributes to the extant literature and industry practice by providing, nuanced insights into the role of pertinent mediators in the link between CT and PP.