Search Results (23)

Tourism offers many economic benefits but can have long-lasting ecological effects when improperly managed. Tourism can cause overwhelming pressure on wastewater treatment systems, as in Belize, where some of the over 400 small islands (cayes) that were once temporary sites for fishermen have become popular tourist destinations. An overabundance of nitrogen, in part as a result of incomplete wastewater treatment, threatens human health and ecosystem services. The tourism industry is a complex and dynamic industry with many sectors and stakeholders with conflicting goals. In this study, a systems thinking approach was adopted to study the dynamic interactions between stakeholders and the environment at Laughing Bird Caye National Park in Belize. The project centered on nutrient discharges from the caye’s onsite wastewater treatment system. An archetype analysis approach was applied to frame potential solutions to nutrient pollution and understand potential behaviors over time. “Out of control” and “Underachievement” were identified as system archetypes; “Shifting the Burden” and ‘‘Limits to Success’’ were used to model specific cases. Based on these results, upgrading of the wastewater treatment system should be performed concurrently with investments in the user experience of the toilets, education on the vulnerability of the treatment system and ecosystem, and controls on the number of daily tourists. Full article

The Industrial Revolution (IR) involves a centuries-long process of economic and societal transformation driven by industrial and technological innovation. From agrarian, craft-based societies to modern systems powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), each IR has brought significant societal advancements yet raised concerns about future implications. As we transition from the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) to the emergent Fifth Industrial Revolution (IR5.0), similar questions arise regarding human employment, technological control, and adaptation. During all these shifts, a recurring theme emerges as we fear the unknown and bring a concern that machines may replace humans’ hard and soft skills. Therefore, comprehensive preparation, critical discussion, and future-thinking policies are necessary to successfully navigate any industrial revolution. While IR4.0 emphasized cyber-physical systems, IoT (Internet of Things), and AI-driven automation, IR5.0 aims to integrate these technologies, keeping human, emotion, intelligence, and ethics at the center. This paper critically examines this transition by highlighting the technological foundations, socioeconomic implications, challenges, and opportunities involved. We explore the role of AI, blockchain, edge computing, and immersive technologies in shaping IR5.0, along with workforce reskilling strategies to bridge the potential skills gap. Learning from historic patterns will enable us to navigate this era of change and mitigate any uncertainties in the future. Full article

Background: Unfulfillment of maternity rights in healthcare is a global problem associated with abuse, neglect and discrimination, known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) vulnerability. Women’s perceptions of their experience are a keystone to improving maternity healthcare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the women’s perceptions of the vulnerability of maternity rights and the associated risk and protective factors. Methods: This study was carried out by qualitative techniques based on the analysis of a semi-structured interview applied to six women in the postpartum period with pregnancy assistance and birth in Spain and Colombia between February and August of 2024. A triangulation analysis was performed about the perceptions of the concept, experiences and risk and protective factors of OB/GYN vulnerability. The free-access ATLAS.ti software was used. Results: OB/GYN vulnerability is generally perceived by women with a psychological impact. Women think that their own factors (emotion management, social support, attitude to change and beliefs), health professional factors (burnout, empathy and social skills) and health institution factors (workload, centralization in technical and protocols, humanization, quality and access to recourses) have an influence to modulate the vulnerability of rights in maternity healthcare. Conclusions: It is necessary for health systems to move from a protocol-centered to a person-centered model, particularly in maternity healthcare. This model should include the biopsychosocial needs of women and allow for their participation. Health institutions need to evaluate their processes and minimize burnout in health professionals. In addition, there are factors affecting OB/GYN vulnerability not only in childbirth but also during pregnancy and postpartum. Full article

The industrial shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 has transformed organizational thinking, moving the focus from purely technological implementation to a more human-centered approach. The current study has focused on the Industry 5.0 technological capabilities to bring into circular economy practices aligned with sustainable development goals, aiming to enhance sustainable performance. Moreover, the resource-based theory has grounded the development of the comprehensive framework on Industry 5.0 technological capabilities (artificial intelligence capabilities, big data analytical capabilities, Internet of Things capabilities, machine learning capabilities, and blockchain technology capabilities) and circular economy practices (eco-design, management system, and investment recovery) to achieve sustainable performance (environmental performance, social performance, and economic performance). Data have been collected from 179 respondents from the Chinese manufacturing industry. Additionally, data have been analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The results showed that Industry 5.0 technological capabilities directly affect sustainable performance. Moreover, circular economy practices played a dual, moderating, and mediating role between Industry 5.0 technological capabilities and sustainable performance. The current study has contributed to filling a gap in the literature on Industry 5.0 capabilities, especially in the circular economy and sustainable performance perspective. The practical contribution recommended is that if organizations focused on their Industry 5.0 technological capabilities, it would boost circular economy practices and sustainable performance to achieve sustainable development goals. Full article

Human-centered systems thinking (HCST) can be seen as a promising enabler of effective Industry 5.0. This study primarily examined whether architecture students consider themselves systems thinkers and how this affects their design thinking, digital competency, and engagement in sustainable and inclusive design practices. Next, this study also examined the students’ HCST profiles, their stability, and the roles of digital competency, design thinking, motivation, and risk propensity in human-centered design. Using a person-oriented approach and cluster analysis, a sample of Polish architecture students from three universities (n = 208) was classified based on their self-perceived HCST ability. Three profiles were identified, namely high, average, and low HCST. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that the HCST profiles differed significantly in terms of design thinking and digital competencies, while multinomial logistic regression (MLR) analysis revealed that perceived intrinsic motivation predicted that students would be more likely to have a high HCST profile. MLR also revealed an undefined role of risk propensity in the context of HCST in inclusive and sustainable architecture design education. The findings indicate that it is essential to recognize and support students with low HCST throughout their education. It is also suggested to change the focus of architecture study programs to promote students’ systems thinking, and to encourage course designers to create novel and tailored technology-enhanced integrated human-centered design and systems thinking. Full article

Public service is related to everyone’s life and future and directly feeds back on the development of society and the country. How to better shape and develop it is a critical issue for both individuals and groups. As the primary provider, the government plays a vital role in its creation, development, and transformation. In recent years, with the rapid development of human society, this field has been placed in the midst of new challenges. These are the difficulties that government departments urgently need to solve, and the traditional solutions have shown apparent inadequacies. Service design, as a powerful responder, is gradually emerging and playing an important role, influencing a series of dimensions from service innovation to social policies. The application of service design in government public services holds significant social value. However, related research remains in its infancy, needing a systematic theoretical framework. This paper focuses on government public service design and carries out systematic design research on it in order to realize the corresponding social and academic value. This paper established a theoretical framework for government public service design centered on the TB4D model, based on an in-depth study of the relevant literature, nearly 30 representative industry case studies, and three practical projects conducted by the author. The model integrates the TSLC operational mechanism model, the Behavior-Organization-Policy operational content model, the “3 + 1” development mode, and the method reference guide for government public service design based on the Double Diamond design process model. The letters and numbers in the model’s name sequentially represent these four components. Specifically, the TSLC operational mechanism model derives its name from the initials of four parts: trans-dimensional cognitive and thinking mode, systems thinking, learning interactive innovation process, and cultural regeneration and value shaping. The “3 + 1” development model denotes three forms of development centered on internal design capability and the form of joint development focused on external design capabilities. The TB4D model combines both theory and practice, yet to better illustrate its overall performance, this paper reverted to the practical domain. It quantitatively evaluated 20 complete projects, calculating the mean value and 95% confidence intervals to verify the model. The results demonstrate that the model is valid and possesses high industry representativeness, effectiveness, and universality. The organic operation of the model will provide systematic, innovative solutions to address the problems and challenges faced in the public service field, promoting the sustainable development of society. Since research in this area is still at an early stage, the theoretical model proposed here emphasizes its intrinsic principles and universal logic. It aims to provide foundational theoretical support for the development of this field and systematic guidance for relevant practices. As the industry evolves, the model’s content can be further refined and enriched to better reflect contemporary characteristics. Additionally, because this model serves as a foundational framework for the entire field, it can be further expanded to develop sub-models with local characteristics when applied to different regions. Full article

Artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning, has revolutionized organizational decision-making processes by assuming many decision responsibilities traditionally allocated to humans. In this scenario, decision-support systems based on AI have gained considerable relevance, although the attitudes of managers toward intelligent agents are still unbalanced towards human intervention in decision-making. An additional level of complexity arises when the development of these systems occurs within the context of investments in human capital, such as startup funding or organizational development. In this field, decision-making becomes even more critical, since it implies the will, goals, and motivations of every human actor involved: the investors and those seeking investments. termed multi-actor decision-making, this process involves multiple individuals or groups of individuals who, starting from non-coincident objectives, must reach a mutual agreement and converge toward a common goal for the success of the investment. Considering these challenges, this study aims to apply the design thinking technique as a human-centered methodology to support the design of an AI-based multi-actor decision-support system, conceived by Mylia (The Adecco Group), in the field of organizational development. Additionally, the integration of strategic organizational counseling will be introduced to facilitate the modeling of internal DM processes within the provider organization, enabling the seamless flow of internal behaviors from the decision-support system’s conceptualization to its integration in the external market. Full article

With the evolution of traditional production towards smart manufacturing, humans and machines interact dynamically to handle complex production systems in semi-automated environments when full automation is not possible. To avoid undesirable side effects, and to exploit the full performance potential of experts, it is crucial to consider the human perspective when developing new technologies. Specifically, human sub-tasks during machine operation must be described to gain insights into cognitive processes. This research proposes a cognition-based framework by integrating a number of known psychological concepts. The focus is on the description of cognitive (team) processes in the resolution of anomalies within a manufacturing process with interdisciplinary experts working together. An observational eye tracking study with retrospective think-aloud interviews (N = 3) provides empirical evidence for all cognitive processes proposed in the framework, such as regular process monitoring and—in case of a detected anomaly—diagnosis, problem solving, and resolution. Moreover, the role of situation awareness, individual expertise and (cognitive) team processes is analyzed and described. Further, implications regarding a human-centered development of future production systems are discussed. The present research provides a starting point for understanding and supporting cognitive (team) processes during intelligent manufacturing that will dominate the production landscape within Industry 5.0. Full article

The halfway point for the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was marked in 2023, as set forth in the 2030 Agenda. Geospatial technologies have proven indispensable in assessing and tracking fundamental components of each of the 17 SDGs, including climatological and ecological trends, and changes and humanitarian crises and socio-economic impacts. However, gaps remain in the capacity for geospatial and related digital technologies, like AI, to provide a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the complex and multi-factorial challenges delineated in the SDGs. Lack of progress toward these goals, and the immense implementation challenges that remain, call for inclusive and holistic approaches, coupled with transformative uses of digital technologies. This paper reviews transdisciplinary, holistic, and participatory approaches to address gaps in ethics and diversity in geospatial and related technologies and to meet the pressing need for bottom-up, community-driven initiatives. Small-scale, community-based initiatives are known to have a systemic and aggregate effect toward macro-economic and global environmental goals. Cybernetic systems thinking approaches are the conceptual framework investigated in this study, as these approaches suggest that a decentralized, polycentric system—for example, each community acting as one node in a larger, global system—has the resilience and capacity to create and sustain positive change, even if it is counter to top-down decisions and mechanisms. Thus, this paper will discuss how holistic systems thinking—societal, political, environmental, and economic choices considered in an interrelated context—may be central to building true resilience to climate change and creating sustainable development pathways. Traditional and Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems around the world hold holistic awareness of human-ecological interactions—practicable, reciprocal relationships developed over time as a cultural approach. This cultural holistic approach is also known as Systemic Literacy, which considers how systems function beyond “mechanical” aspects and include political, philosophical, psychological, emotional, relational, anthropological, and ecological dimensions. When Indigenous-led, these dimensions can be unified into participatory, community-centered conservation practices that support long-term human and environmental well-being. There is a growing recognition of the criticality of Indigenous leadership in sustainability practices, as well as that partnerships with Indigenous peoples and weaving knowledge systems, as a missing link to approaching global ecological crises. This review investigates the inequality in technological systems—the “digital divide” that further inhibits participation by communities and groups that retain knowledge of “place” and may offer the most transformative solutions. Following the review and synthesis, this study presents cybernetics as a bridge of understanding to Indigenous systems thinking. As non-Indigenous scholars, we hope that this study serves to foster informed, productive, and respectful dialogues so that the strength of diverse knowledges might offer whole-systems approaches to decision making that tackle wicked problems. Lastly, we discuss use cases of community-based processes and co-developed geospatial technologies, along with ethical considerations, as avenues toward enhancing equity and making advances in democratizing and decolonizing technology. Full article

Significant attention has been paid to enhancing recommender systems (RS) with explanation facilities to help users make informed decisions and increase trust in and satisfaction with an RS. Justification and transparency represent two crucial goals in explainable recommendations. Different from transparency, which faithfully exposes the reasoning behind the recommendation mechanism, justification conveys a conceptual model that may differ from that of the underlying algorithm. An explanation is an answer to a question. In explainable recommendation, a user would want to ask questions (referred to as intelligibility types) to understand the results given by an RS. In this paper, we identify relationships between Why and How explanation intelligibility types and the explanation goals of justification and transparency. We followed the Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach and leveraged the What–Why–How visualization framework to systematically design and implement Why and How visual explanations in the transparent Recommendation and Interest Modeling Application (RIMA). Furthermore, we conducted a qualitative user study (N = 12) based on a thematic analysis of think-aloud sessions and semi-structured interviews with students and researchers to investigate the potential effects of providing Why and How explanations together in an explainable RS on users’ perceptions regarding transparency, trust, and satisfaction. Our study shows qualitative evidence confirming that the choice of the explanation intelligibility types depends on the explanation goal and user type. Full article

The importance of learning from experience is incontrovertible; however, little is studied regarding the digitalization of in- and inter-project lessons learned in modern organizational practices. As a critical part of organizational knowledge, lessons learned are known to help organizations adapt to the ever-changing world via the complex systems development projects they use to capitalize on and to develop their competitive advantage. In this paper, we introduce the concept of human-centered digitalization for this unique type of organizational knowledge and explain why this approach to managing lessons learned for complex systems development projects is necessary. Drawing from design thinking and systems thinking theories, we further outline the design principles for guiding actions and provide a case study of their implementation in automated systems projects for maritime industries. Full article

This work aims at understanding whether a citizen science-based monitoring system could be adequate to detect the effects, in terms of air quality, of solid and liquid fuel combustion for household heating. Citizen science is known to be able to improve the coverage and resolution of measurements at a very low cost. On the other hand, it also has severe limitations. Since low-cost sensors are to be used, measurements are problematic in terms of precision and accuracy. In order to test these aspects, we developed a system named COCAL that supports all the phases of air quality monitoring, from data acquisition, georeferencing, transmission, and processing up to web mapping. In this work, we focus on particulate matter. To address the limitations of the citizen science approach, we carefully tested all the parts of the system and, in particular, the performances of the low-cost sensors. We highlighted that their precision is acceptable, while their accuracy is insufficient. Measurements taken within such a paradigm cannot be used, therefore, as reference values. They can be used, instead, as relative values, in order to identify and to map trends, anomalies and hotspots. We used COCAL extensively in the city of Trieste and were able to identify different behaviors in different areas of the city. In the city center, PM values increase constantly during the day. In the rural suburbs of the city, we observed that PM values are low during the day but increase very rapidly after 5 p.m. It is important to note that, in the city center, household heating is based almost completely on natural gas. In the rural areas, household heating is generally based on wood burning stoves or liquid and solid fuel. A possible explanation of the different behavior between the two areas can then be related to commuters living in the rural areas but working in the city center. When they return home in the evening, they switch on the heating systems triggering the release of large quantities of particulate matter. We were able to map peaks of particulate matter values and highlight that they are initially located within the village centers to later propagate to the areas around them. The possibility of mapping air quality with the coverage and resolution we were able to obtain within a citizen science approach is very encouraging. This can be very helpful in understanding the impact that liquid and solid fuel combustion can have on the environment and human health. In addition, we think that this opportunity can be very important considering the current geopolitical situation where a (hopefully only temporary) shift toward pollutant fuels is expected in the near future. Full article

Current studies on how a sustainability leadership theory can influence the practice of SMEs, such as a context of community-based social enterprises, is still lacking, with scanty research to date. These small enterprises in the bottom of the pyramid settings are indeed the important socio-economic backbone of many nations around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has significantly hit all sectors and has adversely impacted them. Our study aims to broaden the limited scholarly knowledge and advance the developing SL theory in this realm. Hence, our critical research inquiries address: (1) What are the essential sustainable leadership practices and sustainability competencies for sustainability and resilience in a CBSE context? (2) How can a CBSE business apply the theoretical frameworks in practice to survive and thrive for sustainable futures, especially during the COVID-19 era? This study employs an integrative theoretical examination of sustainable leadership frameworks and sustainability leadership competencies to investigate the sustainable business practices in the SME sector, particularly in a community-based social enterprise context. Our business case centers on a green, social enterprise, which is an award-winner of Best Responsible Tourism and is located in a small coastal fishing village of Thailand. Using a case study research method, the multi-data collection methods include in-depth interviews and focus groups with multiple stakeholders. Evidence was found to comply with six-category sustainable leadership practices and five essential sustainability leadership competencies to varying degrees. The findings suggest that sustainable leaders and entrepreneurs should develop and integrate the value-based practices and competencies (i.e., strategic, systems thinking, interpersonal, anticipatory, ethical competencies) in business. The critical sustainable practices include enabling human capital with care for stakeholders, fostering ethical values and norms via altruism, cultivating social capital through social innovation, and supporting pro-environmental behavior and social responsibility to achieve inclusive growth, sustainability and resilience. The research results advance the theoretical development of the interconnected fields of sustainability leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship. An alternative sustainable business model for sustainability and resilience is also proposed. Overall, the insightful findings can provide practical advice and beneficial policy implications for sustainable futures. Full article

Keeping humans in the loop or bringing them back into the loop in dynamically changing socio-technical systems requires the human-centered arrangement of system designs and the adoption of digital artefacts according to human capabilities and needs. Design-integrated engineering of System-of-Systems (SoS) facilitates the complex interplay of cyber-physical technologies and humans both through model-driven and interactive handling. In this contribution, SoS thinking is introduced as an approach to self-governance of cyber-physical infrastructures and digital appliances. It allows socio-technical system development to be based on the focused articulation of stakeholder interests and behavior, by using them as a baseline for digital twin modeling. In this way, digital twins can represent the system designs and implementation details required for engineering. As such, they enable various pathways to SoS self-governance in cyber-physical settings. Full article

Most of the bioinspired morphological computing studies have departed from a human analysis bias: to consider cognitive morphology as encapsulated by one body, which, of course, can have enactive connections with other bodies, but that is defined by clear bodily boundaries. Such complex biological inspiration has been directing the research agenda of a huge number of labs and institutions in recent decades. Nevertheless, there are other bioinspired examples or even technical possibilities that go beyond biological capabilities (such as constant morphological updating and reshaping, which asks for remapping cognitive performances). Additionally, despite the interest of swarm cognition (which includes superorganisms of flocks, swarms, packs, schools, crowds, or societies) in such non-human-centered approaches, there is still a biological constraint: such cognitive systems have permanent bodily morphologies and only interact between similar entities. In all cases, and even considering amazing possibilities, such as the largest living organism on Earth (specifically the honey fungus Armillaria ostoyae, measuring 3.8 km across in the Blue Mountains in Oregon), it has not been put over the table the possibility of thinking about cross-morphological cognitive systems. Nests of intelligent drones as a single part of AI systems with other co-working morphologies, for example. I am, therefore, suggesting the necessity of thinking about cross-embodied cognitive morphologies, more dynamical and challenging than any other existing cognitive system already studied or created. Full article