Author: Will Blackshaw

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InterAct researchers present findings at Academy of Management 2024 conference

From 9 – 13 August researchers from InterAct joined academic colleagues from across business, management, and social science at the Academy of Management’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. At this conference, InterAct funded researchers had the opportunity to present the findings of several papers focused on the human challenges of digitalisation. These included:

Envisioning a Socially Sustainable Future in Digitally-Enabled Manufacturing

Presented by:

Janet Godsell (Loughborough Business School)

Co-authors:

Ahmet Onur Agca (Loughborough Business School)

Kamran Ali Chatha (Loughborough Business School)

How will digitalization impact the future of work in global manufacturing?

Presented by:

Carolina Marin-Cadavid (Strathclyde Business School)

Co-authors:

Colin Lindsay (Strathclyde Business School)

Jillian MacBryde (Strathclyde Business School)

Robert Stewart (Strathclyde Business School)

Envisioning digital change: A systematic review of the socio-technical tools literature

Presented by:

Hui Zhang (Sheffield University Management School)

Co-authors:

Carolyn Axtell (Sheffield University Management School)

Vladislav Grozev (Sheffield University Management School)

Karina Nielsen (Sheffield University Management School)

Is the emergence of coworking spaces indicative of a modern industrial organization leading to fostering skills development?

Presented by:

Philip R Tomlinson (University of Bath, School of Management)

Mariachiara Barzotto (University of Bath, School of Management)

Co-authors:

Felicia Fai (University of Bath, School of Management)

Sandrine Labory (University of Ferrara, Department of Economics)

Following these successful presentations, the InterAct Network was pleased to be able to welcome over 80 conference attendees as guests at a networking reception held at Giordano’s restaurant (Gold Coast/Magnificent Mile).

This event brought together a wide range of experts from the social sciences to engage with InterAct staff and learn more about the Network’s agenda of improving human-centric digitalisation in manufacturing.

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News

Made Smarter publishes ‘digital transformation roadmap’ for SME manufacturers

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The Made Smarter programme has recently published a new ‘digital transformation roadmap’ to support SME manufacturers with the complex challenges of adopting new technology within their businesses.

Made Smarter was created following an industry-led review of how UK manufacturing industries could be supported to prosper through digital tools and innovation. It is comprised of two key elements; Made Smarter Adoption, which offers practical support and funding to assist businesses with implementing new technology, and Made Smarter Innovation which aims to use research to tackle the current and future challenges to successful digitalisation in UK manufacturing.

In their latest whitepaper, the Made Smarter team have highlighted the process of how they support SME manufacturers with digital transformation through grant funding and skills and leadership training programmes. The report showcases some of the hundreds of businesses who have benefitted from their intervention across the country.

The paper also includes features on several partner organisations such as Make UK, the Centre for People-Led Digitalisation (PLD) and InterAct. Find out more about how we, and others, are working with Made Smarter towards a common goal and access links to the best resources available to start your digital transformation journey today.  

Access the made smarter whitepaper
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People Productivity Resilience Resources

Digital Transformation: A Made Smarter roadmap for SME manufacturers

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Research overview

Are you running a UK manufacturing business and looking to embark on a digital transformation journey? If so, this free whitepaper is the perfect place to start.

Aimed at ambitious SMEs it acts as a guide, explaining the concepts of digitisation, digitalisation, digital transformation, and continuous improvement.

Made Smarter help manufacturers better understand and navigate current and future trends and make the case for how industrial digital technologies can solve problems and create growth opportunities.

This whitepaper explains the process of how we support SME manufacturers with digital transformation through grant funding and skills and leadership training programmes. It also showcases some of the hundreds of businesses who have benefitted from our intervention across the country.

Finally, hear from Made Smarter partner organisations such as Make UK, the Centre for People-Led Digitalisation (PLD) and InterAct on how they are working with Made Smarter towards a common goal and find links to the best resources available to get you started with digital transformation today.

access the made smarter whitepaper
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InterAct Blog

Global perspectives: Investing in a people as a competitive advantage

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Carolina Marin-Cadavid (University of Strathclyde)

In June 2024, InterAct researchers visited Singapore as the first of several ‘Global Insight Missions’ aimed at uncovering new perspectives and knowledge from the global manufacturing ecosystem. This visit enabled the team to engage with the manufacturers, technology providers and support organisations that have driven Singapore’s advanced industrial development.

Manufacturing is not an isolated industry, tethered to any one country. To fully appreciate the scale of the challenges and opportunities for the global manufacturing ecosystem, it is essential we exchange knowledge with international partners and businesses. Our goal is to understand the competitive advantages of other countries, learn from them, and collaborate to share best practices and processes. This will help engaged stakeholders to address the challenges of digital transformation across three key areas: ecosystems, economies, and workplaces.

As part of our first global mission to Singapore, the InterAct team had the opportunity to visit a wide range of manufacturing and technology organisations such as:

Additionally, InterAct hosted a collaborative workshop event in partnership with the ARTC, SIMTech, and the JTC Corporation sharing research generated from the Network’s Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems projects, alongside insights on Singapore’s approach to digitalisation and sustainability.

Why visit Singapore?

This mission provided extensive opportunities to develop an enhanced understanding of the Singaporean approach to the process of digitalisation and manufacturing futures. Several key factors motivated the choice of Singapore as a destination for this initial visit:

  • Singapore is recognised as an exemplar of successful economic growth. A significant aspect of this success is the role that the Singaporean government has played in shaping the nation’s economic system through an industrial strategy (WIPO, 2022).
  • The strategy “AI for the Public Good, for Singapore and the World” was launched in 2023. This initiative aims to position Singapore as a “Smart Nation” to embrace digital transformation through driving global innovation (Smart Nation, 2024).
  • Singapore is a hub for global manufacturers because they have access to talent, political stability, and geographical advantages for entering Southeast Asian Markets (Knight Frank, 2024).
  • Singapore is also a start-up hub placed as second only after Silicon Valley (Heo, 2021).
  • Public institutions assist people in upskilling and reskilling for emerging jobs. Singapore significantly outperformed many European countries in the training participation rate among unemployed residents aged 25 to 64 (Ministry of Manpower, 2023).
Building a better global manufacturing future, together

InterAct hosted an event supported by the Knowledge Transfer Office of the ARTC and SIMTech – two institutes belonging to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). This workshop was delivered with local stakeholders from both local and multinational manufacturing companies in Singapore.

Organisations participating in the event included 3M, Mitsubishi, Edwards, Kowa Skymech, and Halliburton. The practitioners and stakeholders shared their challenges, drivers, and ambitions for achieving a sustainable digital transformation in the future.

Participants had the opportunity to explore ideas and visions around the future of the manufacturing sector, with particular emphasis on what they believed like scenarios and key drivers of innovation would be, highlighting factors such as:

  • Singapore’s government is encouraging workers to develop skills and upgrade their proficiencies.
  • Singapore is a hub for businesses and provides the infrastructure to develop digital capabilities.
  • They are accelerating the pace of automation and building new autonomous technology access.
  • A recurrent theme was the aim for workers to be more efficient, dynamic, and sustainable.
  • They highlighted that the key gaps to achieve these primary targets are generating workplace competency, encouraging people to work with technology, and the contrast of individual mindsets vs the national outlook.
Key insights on Singapore’s manufacturing future
  • The Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy (AMTA) in Singapore is supporting companies in transforming their human capabilities through a sustainable upskilling programme: ‘Learn, Practise, and Implement’. This programme is anticipating the future of workforce roles and skills.
  • Due to its lack of natural resources, Singapore’s competitive advantage is its people. They focus on education by upskilling and reskilling their workforce, supported by the government. By developing new training in partnership with local institutions, Singapore is enhancing their digital capabilities for the future.
  • Government funding and support are key to encouraging companies to pursue digital transformation and engage their high-level managers in upskilling and reskilling programmes.
  • Roles are evolving, and manufacturing companies need more entrepreneurial and innovative leaders on the shop floor to make real-time decisions.
  • Cybersecurity and sustainability are prominent challenges for SMEs in the manufacturing industry. In the UK, there is a need for an integrated vision where the enhancement of human factors is aligned with sustainability.
  • MNEs from the manufacturing industry are relocating to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where they benefit from more physical space and available human resources.
  • Due to the labour gap in Singapore, headquarters located in this market are accelerating processes and driving digital transformation for MNEs.
  • Robots are enhancing working conditions by promoting a cleaner and safer environment for workers.
  • Singapore is ranked 2nd worldwide for robot adoption, while the UK ranks 28th.
  • Employees are encouraged to generate ideas, which are implemented through internal and external funding, creating an ecosystem of actionable intelligence.
  • The accumulation of skills is crucial for transferring knowledge to future generations and building human capability.
  • Singapore has an ambitious decarbonisation plan, despite challenges such as limited territory; importing 90% of its food, 50% of its water, and facing 30% risk of land submergence. They have established a ‘Green Skills Committee’ and are implementing the ‘Green Economy Regulatory Initiative’.
  • Singapore is prioritising “extended producer responsibility” to achieve a circular economy.
References

Heo, S. 2021. Singapore still first in tech innovation hub global ranking: KPMG survey. The Business Times, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/technology/singapore-still- first-tech-innovation-hub-global-ranking-kpmg-survey

Knight Frank. (2024). Singapore Researc: Industrial & Logistics. https://content.knightfrank.com/research/529/documents/en/singapore-industrial-and-logistics-market-update-q1-2024-11134.pdf Accessed on July 2nd, 2024

Ministry of Manpower. 2023. Labour Force in Singapore. https://stats.mom.gov.sg/iMAS_PdfLibrary/mrsd_2023LabourForce.pdf

Smart Nation. (2024). AI for the Public Good, for Singapore and the World. https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/nais/

WIPO. 2022. Global Innovation Hotspots: Singapore’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization.

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News

Professor Colin Lindsay brings Future of Work insights to Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce Roundtable

On 10th July, InterAct Future of Work co-investigator, Professor Colin Lindsay joined the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce and industry guests at British Sugar, Peterborough to share insights on manufacturing workforces.

Professor Lindsay spoke to a wide range of stakeholders from across the region to discuss the barriers and potential solutions to the challenge of developing future talent – a key focus of the area’s Local Skills Improvement Plan.

Make UK have highlighted the scale of the problem of an aging manufacturing workforce: 1 in 5 employees are aged 55 and over, with 20% of workers set to retire in the next decade. This urgent issue has been investigated by the InterAct Future of Work team, culminating in the publication of the ‘Making Things Work’ – Perceptions of Manufacturing’ report in late 2023.

This report, based on a survey of over 2100 people, addressed the serious issue of how the UK public perceives the manufacturing sector. The researchers placed the spotlight on concerns such as the fact ‘over 70% of respondents have not heard or read anything about manufacturing in the last year’. The survey found that concerns over the sustainability, perceptions of low pay and a lack of flexible working were driving younger and more diverse potential applicants away.

Attendees of the session had the opportunity to discuss these findings, before hearing from Enguinity’s Fiona McGarry about how manufacturers can start to tackle the problem of attracting and engaging with younger generations through innovative solutions.

Discussing the event, Professor Lindsay said: “It was a pleasure to be able to address such a wide ranging group of manufacturers and key stakeholders in the sector. It is encouraging to see how receptive businesses are to the message we’re sharing, and that we’re starting to see real traction in addressing what is a huge and growing issue for industry.”

Read the ‘‘Making Things Work’ – Perceptions of Manufacturing’ report
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News

InterAct sponsors inaugural meeting of Leicestershire group of East Midlands Manufacturing Network

InterAct was pleased to be able to sponsor and join the inaugural meeting of the Leicestershire group of the East Midlands Manufacturing Network (EMMN) on 5th July at the STEM Lab of Loughborough University.

This exciting development from the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce expanded the regional Manufacturing Network into Leicestershire as a whole, bringing together key players from manufacturing, technology, trade bodies and policy. This introductory session focused on the scale of manufacturing challenges for the region. Participants had the opportunity to share business perspectives and hear about the insights from research aimed at supporting UK manufacturing.

InterAct representatives discussed the scope of the Network, how it can support local businesses and the benefits of the many core and commissioned research projects. Attendees then had the chance to hear from Dr. Kate Broadhurst about her work as part of an InterAct funded project examining the potential of ‘Open Innovation’. This project aims to create roadmaps outlining best practice for collaborative open innovation, designed to help overcome the challenges of technological development and implementation.

InterAct will be continuing to support the EMMN as it grows, if you are interested in collaborating with likeminded manufacturers in the East Midlands region, you can find out more here.

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News

InterAct goes global with Singapore research mission

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The InterAct team kicked off a series of InterAct Global research missions with a visit to Singapore at the end of June 2024. InterAct Global is expansion of the project, designed to bring insights from international manufacturing and technological innovation to the UK sector. This visit enabled the team to engage with the manufacturers, technology providers and support organisations that have driven Singapore’s industrial development.

InterAct is hoping to create both local and global impact by exchanging knowledge with international players in the worldwide manufacturing ecosystem. These missions will help to better understand the competitive advantages of other countries, learn from them, and exchange best practices and processes. Providing these insights to UK businesses and policymakers, the project aims to tackle the future challenges of digital transformation across three key areas: ecosystems, economies, and workplaces.

Singapore represents an interesting case study for innovation, with a strong track record of economic growth and clearly defined strategies for industrial development. The nation’s role as a hub for trade, finance and technology in the region demonstrates the potential benefits of a unified approach. The team had the chance to explore this in more depth through visits to various organisations and companies including:

InterAct had the chance to expand upon these visits and discussions with a full day workshop hosted at the ARTC, bringing together staff from various additional businesses, including M, Mitsubishi, Edwards and Kowa Skymech.

This engaging session offered participants the chance to hear from both InterAct Co-directors and A*STAR staff as they discussed:

  • Building the next-gen workforce: Professor Jillian MacBryde’s session highlighting the importance of talent acquisition, development, and reskilling to bridge the skills gap.
  • Digital transformation: Professor Janet Godsell’s talk shed light on creating efficient digital ecosystems within supply chains and manufacturing landscapes.
  • AI-powered future: Dr. Haiyue Zhu showcased cutting-edge AI-powered smart robotics and the transformative potential of automation.
  • Singapore’s decarbonisation roadmap: Daren Tan outlined Singapore’s ambitious plans for decarbonisation, addressing environmental challenges head-on.

Attendees also contributed to an extended shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing sector through two workshops built around the approaches of the InterAct Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems teams.

We want to thank all of our generous hosts and partners for the success of this mission, and look forward to bringing more insights from our further global engagement activities.

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InterAct Blog

Why manufacturers should explore flexible working

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Nikki Slowey (Co-founder, Flexbility Works)

We’ve just published our latest annual Flex for Life report, looking at what workers and employers think of flexible working, and there’s a clear message for employers.

Flexible working is here to stay, and it will continue to grow steadily, even in industries that have traditionally had little flexibility for staff.

Overall, the new data shows 67% of workers work flexibly, up from 61% last year and 46% pre-pandemic.

Among frontline workers, 63% work flexibly and 35% don’t. But in manufacturing, just 43% work flexibly and 58% don’t.

This is important because our data also shows how much frontline workers, including those in manufacturing, would like flexible working, and whether they think it’s possible in their current role.

Nearly two thirds (62%) of frontline workers who don’t work flexibly would like flexibility, and one in three (34%) think some form of flexible working is possible in their current role without impacting performance.

It’s true that creating greater flexible working is more challenging in manufacturing settings than an office environment. But the business case for flexible working is strong, whichever industry you work in. A total of 71% of employers told us flexible working is good for their business, 75% of employers said flexible working helped them retain good staff, 60% said it increased the quality and quantity of candidates during recruitment and 55% said flex helped to reduce skills shortages.

We found the top five types of flexible working currently used by frontline workers are:

  • 33% flexible start and finish times
  • 28% some working from home or hybrid
  • 24% part time
  • 24% easy shift swapping
  • 16% reliable, predictable shift patterns

We found similar responses when we asked what types of flexibility frontline workers would like more of in their current role:

  • 25% flexibility on start and finish times
  • 22% some hybrid or home working
  • 16% full time remote working
  • 16% compressed hours (ie 5 days’ hours worked over 4 longer days)

Clearly not all of these will work for every employer and every role. But perhaps there are some you haven’t yet considered?

We’ve worked with many employers to help them create flexible working for frontline staff, and from our experience there are three key points to get right.

Listen to staff

Workers know their jobs better than anyone else, and they know what changes are possible, practical and more efficient to the business. Managers don’t need to have all the ideas. Given the benefits flexible working can deliver for people and for businesses, we would encourage you and your team to explore what workers think is possible.

Be open and creative about different kinds of flex

Flexible working can look different in frontline roles. All flex is ultimately about giving workers more choice and control over when, where and how much they work. Hybrid may be off the table for good reason but part time hours might work, or having an input to rotas, advanced notice of shifts, or – as one in seven frontline workers told us – being able to swap shifts easily. Some of these are seemingly small changes but they can make a big difference.

Trial new ways of working

Any change of working pattern can be done on a trial basis at first to test whether it works for people and for the organisation. Make sure you communicate clearly with staff on how long the trial period is, what you will be measuring, and what information will be shared back with staff and when. For more data insights, our evidenced business case for flexible working and our practical 7 steps to flex that will help you get flexible working right.

Download the flex for life 2024 report
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People Resources

Flexible working and manufacturing

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Research overview

Flexible working continues to increase, including for frontline workers, according to new data from the flexible working experts at social business Flexibility Works.

Did you know 67% of workers work flexibly, up from 61% last year and 46% before the pandemic? Now, 85% of workers either already work flexibly, or would like to.

The spotlight on flexible working is moving from hybrid for home workers to different types of flexibility that frontline workers, like those in manufacturing, can use to improve their work life balance and wellbeing, and deliver significant business benefits too.

You can download Flexibility Works’ Flex for Life 2024 report free to access:

  • Big picture flex: A short, need-to-know overview of what’s happening with flexible working in workplaces.
  • Business case for flexible working: Latest data evidence from employers and workers.
  • 7 Steps to flex: Data-driven guidance on how to get flexible working right, including in frontline industries.
  • Business stories: Examples of where flexibility is working well, including McAllister Litho Glasgow’s print factory.

The report is based on data from Scottish employers, workers and unemployed adults looking for work and is Scotland’s most comprehensive analysis of flexible working. The findings are similar to UK-wide studies.

Download the report
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News

Future of the Economy team welcomes leading economist to discuss Industry 4.0

We hear a lot about the impact of Industry 4.0 in manufacturing, but it can be a complex and thorny issue to definitively explain. The term has become synonymous with smart manufacturing and the introduction of new digital technologies within the sector. Technologists talk about the Internet of Things (IoT), AI and machine learning, robotics or the power of cloud computing, but what does it all mean?

InterAct welcomed Dr. Olivér Kovács of the Ludovika University of Public Services, Budapest to an online session on 23rd May to share his insights on the 4th Industrial Revolution, how technological change can be accomplished and what key barriers to innovation remain.

Dr. Kovács is a Hungarian economist whose research embraces two fields:

  1. Sustainable development through the lens of complexity science (including structural change, techno-economic paradigm shifts, Industry 4.0, state fiscal sustainability and the theoretical and empirical issues of fiscal policy and fiscal consolidations)
  2. Innovation and innovation policy

He has been a member of public body of Hungarian Academy of Sciences since 2015 (Economics and Law Section of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Committee on World Economics and Development Studies), a member of the EuroMoney Expert Panel since 2010, and a member of the Darwin Club for Social Sciences which is equipped with the idea of applying evolutionary and complexity approaches to socio-economic phenomena.

Dr. Kovacs has published several books including:

  • Stability and Dynamism – Fundamentals of Innovative Fiscal Policy
  • Complexity Economics: Economic Governance, Science and Policy
  • Reversing the Great Suppression – Unleashing the Catalytic Public Sector for Innovation Dynamism

You can watch the full session on our YouTube channel.