Insights of Digital Transformation Processes in Industrial Symbiosis from the Viable Systems Approach (vSa)

Abstract

The main purpose of this contribution is twofold: from a scientific point of view, to interpret the symbiotic logic through the framework of the Viable Systems approach (vSa), and from a managerial viewpoint, to provide the actors of industrial symbiosis initiatives, at any stage of their life cycle, with a guide to the most promising web-based solutions in terms of defining the best configuration for the symbiotic network. The article, therefore, aims to provide an in-depth study of the existing literature, which is still not exhaustive, and to consider synoptically and comparatively the modern platforms capable of supporting industrial symbiosis initiatives. The objective was pursued by examining 10 existing and functioning Web-based platforms, of which only a few were previously explored in the previous literature, while the recognition of the latter was carried out on a bibliometric basis to articulate in more detail the existing gap based on a panel of contributions as large as possible. The joint consideration of the literature review and the examination of the existing and functioning platforms shows an articulated framework of approaches, proposed models, and classification schemes of their functions, which allows us to conclude that given the sectoral, territorial, and specific characteristics of the materials addressed by each platform and considering the different cycles existing in eco-industrial parks (water, energy, by-products, etc.), the most promising way for their implementation is to consider multiple platforms to fully exploit the contribution of each of them. As for the management implications, the suggestion is to integrate the results obtained from the different platforms and to evaluate the configurational alternatives with multi-criteria procedures.

Human–technology dichotomy in shaping management history

“…For a long time, socio-economic organizations have been approached and managed in the light of a consolidated structure-based view in which the focus was on the elements that composed the whole and on the ways in which was possible to maximize their "use" in ex-ante defined processes (Del Giudice et al, 2016). In the past 30 years, the above-mentioned approach seems to be radically changed in face of the diffusion of systems thinking in managerial and social sciences (Bogdanov, 1910;Barile and Saviano, 2011;Golinelli et al, 2012;Basile and Caputo, 2017).…”

Enhancing knowledge brokerage drivers for dynamic capabilities: the effects on sustainable supply chain ecosystem

“…We believe that these dedicated processes can be activated by the KB, who, as an interaction mediator (Burt, 2007), acts on the DCs (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000; and feeds the network (Yao et al, 2020), generating a proactive approach to the three dimensions of sustainability. This is particularly relevant in those production sectors in which the sustainability process must be the result of a process of sharing between companies and actors, as the integration and regeneration of resources produce repercussions in terms of creating shared value (Barile and Saviano, 2013). We apply the proposed framework to the agrofood sector, in which, without a doubt, the collaboration between actors and the exchange of knowledge is a critical factor to be able to reconcile economic, environmental, social and organizational aspects, as well as marketing, food safety and obligations toward companies, consumers and society (Fritz and Schiefer, 2008).…”

Organisational ambidexterity and knowledge management: A systems perspective towards Smart Model‐based Governance

“…Decision theories based on deterministic approaches appear obsolete and inadequate to respond to constant requests and changes in the context in which the organisation operates: In fact, decisions are more linked to emergency and solutions not previously planned (Barile, 2011; Carrubbo et al, 2017). As stated by Pina e Cunha and Vieira da Cunha (2006, p. 847), the way in which organisations develop and act in complex contexts is hardly definable with classical paradigms, rather it is closer to complexity theory notions; so ‘rather than planning and then acting, strategic management is being portrayed as a process in permanent flux, with action and learning feeding back to each other in a succession of iterations’.…”