Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Management Science and Operations Research, Business, Management and Accounting, Management of Technology and Innovation
44
Scopus Publications
2207
Scholar Citations
18
Scholar h-index
29
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Exploring the factors influencing digital transformation in micro and small-sized enterprises in an emerging country: a sociotechnical systems perspective Adriano Machado Becker, Patrick Ferreira Da Silva, Nestor Fabián Ayala, Thayla Zomer International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 2026 PurposeDigital transformation (DT) is a multidimensional process that encompasses significant technological, organizational and cultural shifts that aim to enhance business operations, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth. While substantial research has explored DT in large organizations, the unique challenges and dynamics faced by micro and small-sized enterprises (MSEs), particularly in emerging economies, remain underexamined. This study addresses this gap by investigating the sociotechnical system (STS) factors that influence the capacity of MSEs to implement DT within the context of an emerging market.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study involving 35 MSEs in southern Brazil was conducted over six months. Data were collected through a comprehensive digital check-up tool, questionnaires and in-depth interviews, all integrated into an innovation project strategically aimed at promoting DT. The study also involved the guidance of four DT experts to ensure analytical rigor.FindingsThe research identified 40 distinct factors that serve as both barriers and facilitators to DT. The results indicate that MSEs demonstrating improvements across multiple STS dimensions – technical, social, organizational and environmental – are significantly more likely to achieve sustainable digital transformation. The analysis underscores the importance of the interplay between these subsystems in shaping the success of DT initiatives. Practical implications: This study provides actionable insights for MSE managers, policymakers and DT service providers. By understanding the critical interdependencies among sociotechnical subsystems, stakeholders can develop targeted strategies to overcome barriers, enhance digital maturity and optimize technology adoption. These insights are particularly relevant for addressing the unique challenges faced by MSEs in resource-constrained environments.Practical implicationsThe study provides actionable insights for MSE managers, policymakers and DT service providers. Understanding STS interdependencies enables targeted strategies to overcome barriers, enhance digital maturity and optimize technology adoption, particularly in resource-constrained environments.Originality/valueThis research uniquely applies the STS framework to the DT process in MSEs, offering a holistic perspective on the complex interactions between technological, organizational and social factors. By focusing on an emerging market context, the study not only bridges a critical gap in the literature but also generates practical guidelines for fostering digital transformation in smaller enterprises. The findings contribute to both theoretical advancements in sociotechnical systems research and the development of context-sensitive strategies to support MSEs in their digitalization journeys.
EXAMINING CAPABILITIES IN DIGITAL SERVITIZATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW Proceedings of the International Conferences on Digital Transformation and Innovation Management 2025 and ICT Society and Human Beings 2025 Part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2025, 2025
Developing an action-oriented performance framework for sustainability measurement in the new product development Vanessa Nappi, Thayla Tavares Sousa-Zomer, Paulo A. Cauchick-Miguel, Henrique Rozenfeld International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 2024 PurposeThe integration of sustainability, performance measurement and new product development (NPD) is key for aligning environmental and social objectives with business strategies. While previous research has initiated proposals for integrating sustainability into NPD or incorporating sustainability into corporate measurement systems, there is a notable deficiency in studies that comprehensively integrate these three perspectives. In this sense, this study proposes a performance framework (PF) to integrate sustainability performance indicators (PIs) into the measurement system considering the company’s NPD phases.Design/methodology/approachThe PF was developed through a literature review and action research (AR). This resulting PF was positively evaluated by the practitioners in the company.FindingsFirst, the review enabled the synthesis of an initial conceptual PF with 188 sustainability PIs and a five-step procedure. Then, the empirical results of the AR led to a new PF that presents the systematisation of the PIs database and a practice-based seven-stage approach.Research limitations/implicationsThis action-oriented research limits the extent to which this study’s findings can be generalised. Future research should apply the PF in different research designs to produce managerially relevant knowledge.Practical implicationsThis PF may provide managers with actionable knowledge that best supports the measurement system integration with sustainability PIs considering the NPD phases.Originality/valueIntegrating sustainability, performance measurement and the NPD has been recognised as critical for supporting decision-making concerning the impact of processes and products. Compared with previous frameworks, the proposed PF extends the existing literature by introducing a systematised PIs database and a novel procedure for integrating sustainability measurement throughout the NDP.
Elastic manufacturing: provisioning and deprovisioning production capacity to vary product volume and mix Sudhir Rama Murthy, Thayla Tavares Sousa-Zomer, Tim Minshall, Chander Velu, Nikolai Kazantsev, et al. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 2024 PurposeAdvancements in responsive manufacturing have been supporting companies over the last few decades. However, manufacturers now operate in a context of continuous uncertainty. This research paper explores a mechanism where companies can “elastically” provision and deprovision their production capacity, to enable them in coping with repeated disruptions. Such a mechanism is facilitated by the imitability and substitutability of production resources.Design/methodology/approachAn inductive study was conducted using Gioia methodology for this theory generation research. Respondents from 20 UK manufacturing companies across multiple industrial sectors reflected on their experience during COVID-19. Resource-based view and resource dependence theory were employed to analyse the manufacturers' use of internal and external production resources.FindingsThe study identifies elastic responses at four operational levels: production-line, factory, company and supply chain. Elastic responses that imposed variable-costs were particularly well-suited for coping with unforeseen disruptions. Further, the imitability and substitutability of manufacturers helped others produce alternate goods during the crisis.Originality/valueWhile uniqueness of production capability helps manufacturers sustain competitive advantage against competitors during stable operations, imitability and substitutability are beneficial during a crisis. Successful manufacturing companies need to combine these two approaches to respond effectively to repeated disruptions in a context of ongoing uncertainties. The theoretical contribution is in characterising responsive manufacturing in terms of resource heterogeneity and resource homogeneity, with elastic resourcing as the underlying mechanism.
A Landscape of Case-Based Research: Methodological Rigor in an Emerging Economy Context Paulo Cauchick-Miguel, Eloiza Kohlbeck, Thayla Tavares de Sousa Zomer Proceedings of the European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management Studies, 2024 In the evolving field of Production Engineering, the robustness of case-based research plays a crucial role in theory development and practical application. Recognizing this criticality, this paper delves into a systematic examination of methodological rigor in Production Engineering case research, scrutinizing a significant corpus of research to discern patterns and practices in methodological execution. This work seeks to shed light on the prevailing trends and identify potential avenues for strengthening the methodological foundations of case study research within the Production Engineering domain. The search was based on case studies from select publications in the Scielo database, a relevant Brazilian source that make available journal articles published in journals in various areas of knowledge. The analysis delineates a framework of four quality criteria – construct validity, internal and external validity, and reliability – to augment methodological rigour. The findings reveal a critical need for a more explicit engagement with these criteria in research design, data collection, and analysis. The research highlights strategies to fortify rigour and, by extension, the quality of case-based research, paving the way for more robust theoretical contributions in Production Engineering. This work in progress not only considers the recent landscape of case-based research but also provides actionable insights to refine future research methodologies, ultimately fostering a paradigm of excellence in qualitative research. The enhancement of methodological rigour in Production Engineering case-based research within the scientific community in a developing country is of paramount importance. As scholars strive to amplify their voices in the international arena, the meticulous application of robust research methodologies becomes critical. It serves not only to fortify the validity and reliability of findings but also to ensure the reproducibility of research. Enhancing methodological rigour aids in building a legacy of credibility and trust in the Brazilian scholarship that can contribute significantly to both regional and global advancements in Production Engineering.
How do projects decouple from coercive pressures? A study of decoupling in construction projects Thayla Zomer, Andy Neely, Paulo Savaget International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2024 PurposeHow organisations interact with and respond to environmental pressures has been a long-term interest of organisational scholars. Still, it remains an under-theorised phenomenon from a project perspective. So far, there is limited understanding of how projects, which are composed by a constellation of organisations, “respond” to institutional pressures that are exerted on them. This research takes the perspective of projects as adopters/implementers of institutional pressures and analyses how they interact with, and respond to, such pressures. More specifically, this research explores how construction projects respond to the pressure of a Building Information Modelling (BIM) mandate.Design/methodology/approachMultiple in-depth case studies were conducted to explore the practical implementation of a BIM mandate in the UK and understand how the construction projects responded to the coercive pressures to implement a new policy mandate for process digitalisation. Multiple sources were employed for data collection and the data were analysed inductively. The findings identify a hybrid response comprising four distinct ways that projects might respond to an institutional pressure.FindingsWe find that projects decouple both from the content and from the intended purpose of a policy, i.e. there are two variance of a policy-practice decoupling phenomenon in projects. The findings also reveal the underlying conditions leading to decoupling.Originality/valueWe advance decoupling literature so that it better applies to the temporary, distributed and interdependent work conducted via projects. Second, we define decoupling in projects as a provisional and fragmented process of wayfinding through heterogeneous institutional spaces, and discuss the potential policy-practice assemblages in projects, influenced by how, if and when project members' activities decouple from the many and often contradicting institutional pressures they face. Third, we discuss how the qualitatively different forms of decoupling that we identified in our work may act as part of a legitimation process in ambiguous situations whereby projects might share a resemblance of conformity with institutional pressures when they are de facto only partially conforming to them.
Institutional pressures and decoupling in construction projects: An analysis of building information modelling implementation Arcom 2020 Association of Researchers in Construction Management 36th Annual Conference 2020 Proceedings, 2020
Computer vision in Quality 4.0: empirical insights from industrial demands FO Marinho, TTS Zomer, LFCS Durão, PA Cauchick-Miguel, E Zancul Production 36, e20250096 , 2026 2026
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN INDUSTRY 4.0: A LITERATURE REVIEW TTSZ Alex Silveira de Campos, Eduardo de Senzi Zancul, Fernando Tobal Berssaneti Produção Online , 2026 2026
Artificial Intelligence in Additive Manufacturing: A Systematic Review Across the Digital-to-Physical Process Chain T Zomer, R Rany Scabora, L Durão, J Rein, E Zancul, K Schützer, ... IFIP International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management, 212-221 , 2025 2025
Exploring the factors influencing digital transformation in micro and small-sized enterprises in an emerging country: a sociotechnical systems perspective Becker, A., Ferreira Da Silva, P., Ayala, N.F. Zomer, T. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management , 2025 2025 Citations: 12
Orchestrators and catalysts in sustainable urban agriculture: mechanisms shaping ecosystem development EFT Ximenes, M Monteiro de Carvalho, T Zomer, RCS Pião EurOMA 2025 , 2025 2025
Towards circular offshore decommissioning: Assessing circularity in offshore platform end-of-life T Zomer, T Sigahi, RCS Pião, M Monteiro de Carvalho EurOMA 2025 , 2025 2025
Engaging for decarbonising: Strategic stakeholder approaches in manufacturing firms T Zomer, P Savaget, A Neely, E Zancul EurOMA 2025 , 2025 2025
Critical success factors for creating, delivering and capturing value in connected cars PA Cauchick-Miguel, E Kohlbeck, T Zomer, G Mendes 6th South American Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations … , 2025 2025
Transformations in Business Models Caused by Connected Cars: A Systematic Literature Review E Kohlbeck, PA Cauchick-Miguel, TTS Zomer, GHS Mendes World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies, 91-99 , 2025 2025
Key technologies in pursuit of the decarbonization of the oil and gas industry P Savaget, C Wittram, T Zomer, D Armanios 2025 Citations: 1
Investigating upgradable products: toward a conceptual model RA Marzolla, ES Zancul, TTS Zomer 2025
Engajamento com stakeholders para gestão de emissões de gases de efeito estufa: uma análise em empresas manufatureiras TTS Zomer, RR Scabora, ES Zancul, PAC Miguel ENEGEP 2025-Produção inteligente para um futuro renovável , 2025 2025
Desenvolvimento de startups na fábrica de aprendizagem de um ecossistema universitário RE Vieira, TTS Zomer, ES Zancul ENEGEP 2025-Produção inteligente para um futuro renovável , 2025 2025
Operações de baixo carbono em indústrias manufatureiras: estratégias chaves para produtos, processos e cadeia de suprimentos RR Scabora, TTS Zomer, RP Alves, ES Zancul ENEGEP 2025-Produção inteligente para um futuro renovável , 2025 2025
Supply chain management in response to climate change: A system dynamics approach R Balawanth, T Zomer, P Gonçalves, P Savaget Sustainable Production and Consumption , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Design for Low-Carbon Lifecycle (DfLCL): A conceptual framework TT Sousa-Zomer, E Zancul, PA Cauchick-Miguel Procedia CIRP 136, 456-461 , 2025 2025
Digital transformation in servitization: analysis of technologies and dominant themes G Facco, PA Cauchick Miguel, TT Sousa Zomer Gestão & Produção 31, e11524 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Developing an action-oriented performance framework for sustainability measurement in the new product development V Nappi, TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick-Miguel, H Rozenfeld International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 73 (10 … , 2024 2024 Citations: 3
Frames of systems change in sustainability transformations: Lessons from sociotechnical systems and circular economy case studies L Eising-Mertsch, P Savaget, T Zomer, A Brophy Journal of Cleaner Production 479, 143976 , 2024 2024 Citations: 6
A landscape of case-based research: methodological rigor in an emerging economy context P Cauchick-Miguel, E Kohlbeck, TT de Sousa Zomer Proceedings of the 23rd European Conference on Research Methodology for … , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Digital transforming capability and performance: a microfoundational perspective TT Sousa-Zomer, A Neely, V Martinez International Journal of Operations & Production Management 40 (7-8), 1095-1128 , 2020 2020 Citations: 571
Exploring the challenges for circular business implementation in manufacturing companies: An empirical investigation of a pay-per-use service provider TT Sousa-Zomer, L Magalhães, E Zancul, PA Cauchick-Miguel Resources, Conservation and Recycling 135, 3-13 , 2018 2018 Citations: 260
Cleaner production as an antecedent for circular economy paradigm shift at the micro-level: Evidence from a home appliance manufacturer TT Sousa-Zomer, L Magalhães, E Zancul, LMS Campos, ... Journal of cleaner production 185, 740-748 , 2018 2018 Citations: 197
Sustainable business models as an innovation strategy in the water sector: An empirical investigation of a sustainable product-service system TT Sousa-Zomer, PAC Miguel Journal of cleaner production 171, S119-S129 , 2018 2018 Citations: 185
A QFD-based approach to support sustainable product-service systems conceptual design TT Sousa-Zomer, PAC Miguel The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 88 (1), 701-717 , 2017 2017 Citations: 132
Exploring business model innovation for sustainability: an investigation of two product-service systems TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick-Miguel Total Quality Management & Business Excellence 30 (5-6), 594-612 , 2019 2019 Citations: 104
Built environment of Britain in 2040: Scenarios and strategies DG Broo, K Lamb, RJ Ehwi, E Pärn, A Koronaki, C Makri, T Zomer Sustainable cities and society 65, 102645 , 2021 2021 Citations: 82
Project-based learning approach: improvements of an undergraduate course in new product development ES Zancul, TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick-Miguel Production 27, e20162252 , 2017 2017 Citations: 78
The main challenges for social life cycle assessment (SLCA) to support the social impacts analysis of product-service systems TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick Miguel The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 23 (3), 607-616 , 2018 2018 Citations: 64
Exploring the influence of socio-historical constructs on BIM implementation: an activity theory perspective T Zomer, A Neely, R Sacks, A Parlikad Construction management and economics 39 (1), 1-20 , 2021 2021 Citations: 61
Product-service systems as a promising approach to sustainability: exploring the sustainable aspects of a PSS in Brazil TT Sousa, PAC Miguel Procedia CIRP 30, 138-143 , 2015 2015 Citations: 44
Lean Six Sigma in developing countries: evidence from a large Brazilian manufacturing firm AC Scheller, TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick-Miguel International Journal of Lean Six Sigma 12 (1), 3-22 , 2021 2021 Citations: 41
Lifecycle management of product-service systems: a preliminary investigation of a white goods manufacturer TT Sousa-Zomer, L Magalhães, E Zancul, PA Cauchick-Miguel Procedia CIRP 64, 31-36 , 2017 2017 Citations: 39
Design of a sustainable electric vehicle sharing business model in the Brazilian context SR Moro, PA Cauchick-Miguel, TTS Zomer, G Mendes International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management 14 (2), 147-161 , 2023 2023 Citations: 34
Proposal of a framework for product-service systems characterization FH Beuren, TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick-Miguel Production 27, e20170052 , 2017 2017 Citations: 28
Exploring the consumption side of sustainable product-service systems (PSS): An empirical study and insights for PSS sustainable design TT Sousa-Zomer, PAC Miguel CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology 15, 74-81 , 2016 2016 Citations: 23
Exploring the critical factors for sustainable product-service systems implementation and diffusion in developing countries: an analysis of two PSS cases in Brazil TT Sousa-Zomer, PAC Miguel Procedia CIRP 47, 454-459 , 2016 2016 Citations: 20
An umbrella review of product-service systems: Analysis of review papers characteristics, research trends and underexplored topics SR Moro, PA Cauchick-Miguel, G Mendes, TTS Zomer Journal of Cleaner Production , 2023 2023 Citations: 19
R&D portfolio management practices in Brazilian electric power utilities EK Yamakawa, TT Sousa-Zomer, PA Cauchick-Miguel, CP Killen Benchmarking: An International Journal 25 (6), 1641-1655 , 2018 2018 Citations: 17
A Longitudinal History-Based Review of the Product-Service System: Past, Present, and Future E Kohlbeck, P Cauchick-Miguel, G Mendes, T Zomer Sustainability 15 (15), 11922 , 2023 2023 Citations: 15
