• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Advertise
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Features list
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsor an article
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Subscribe to Newsletter

Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Editorial Sections A-Z
    • Agriculture
    • Aircraft
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Automation
    • Autonomous Vehicles
    • Business
    • Computing
    • Construction
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Drones
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial robots
    • Industry
    • Infrastructure
    • Investments
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Marine
    • Material handling
    • Materials
    • Mining
    • Promoted
    • Research
    • Robotics
    • Science
    • Sensors
    • Service robots
    • Software
    • Space
    • Technology
    • Transportation
    • Warehouse robots
    • Wearables
  • Press releases
  • Events

Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation

June 3, 2019 by David Edwards

By Nicola Olivetti, Lean and Industry 4.0 Program Director, iObeya

Recently, a leading industrial journalist asked for an explanation about the pragmatic integration of human-centricity and automation. Below are my responses.

Question: How can you preserve a human-centric approach to collegial work in a highly automated environment?

Answer: Companies with an authentic Lean culture leverage automation to expand the scope of teams by granting real-time access to valuable information. This allows for important activity and relevant people (experts, partners, suppliers, customers) to co-operate in a horizontal and agile manner.

Management of “traditional,” non-Lean companies with a top-down specialist culture, believes that teams in the field are fundamentally unable to make decisions. This use of automation is designed to reduce teams’ ability to maneuver and control execution. Ultimately, these manufacturers reduce headcount until they can fully move execution to machines.

The root cause of these seemingly disparate conditions is empowerment. Power is nothing more than deciding and executing. Companies embracing authentic Lean principles, highly value operational empowerment as both a way to respect team members and build a competitive advantage through rapid response, learning, and motivated workforce.

Q. How have Artificial Intelligence (AI), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Augmented Reality (AR), and other Industry 4.0 technologies impacted workforce engagement?

A. “Smart factories” are the “brain” of the factory. When the “interesting” part of a job is taken away from the workforce, there is an obvious loss in ownership. This kind of transfer should be carried out only if the expected business impact is overwhelmingly important. Until that stage, the “smart” part of the job should stay in the field.

Change management plays a vital role in helping the workforce transition to a new set of jobs; teams change a work paradigm and look at every activity from a new perspective.

Q. How can management leverage these technologies while safeguarding team cohesion?

A. Management should develop a deep knowledge of operational processes from the field and constantly collect feedback from workers. They should also avoid any automation until fully mastering key processes.

It is recommended that management automate one or several process steps to test what works best. This fast-learning cycle allows a return to the previous state, if the test fails. If this proof-of-concept test passes, management implements a thorough deployment plan, with at least 30 percent of resources dedicated to change management. First think people and processes, then technology.

Q. How do Millennials adapt to automation in a work environment?

A. Millennials are already used to collaborative technologies; it is part of their everyday life. When joining a company, many Millennials are surprised to see that the technology they are accustomed to using in their daily lives is not replicated in the work environment. There is a clear generational gap in terms of technology adoption.

Q. What does a human-centric workforce do to balance human interaction and robotic automation?

A. A human-centric workforce will focus on process improvement and carry it out through strong teamwork. This is too complex to be done by artificial intelligence. Human-centricity will be preserved because humans will keep the control of process and system design.

AI and robotics will increase their performances, but for very specialized tasks or process steps, without a holistic vantage point.

Human-centricity and automation impacts

Q. How is Digital Visual Management (DVM) uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between automation and a human-centric approach?

A. Digital Visual Management is a virtual meeting point in space and time; like the central square of a town, where people come and go and gather at specific moments. These gatherings – often global – encourage participants to learn, negotiate, make decisions.

Collaboration

Collaboration requires pulling relevant information from underlying software layers that are purely operational and based on individual interfaces. Digital Visual Management is the decision-making layer on top of companies’ collective intelligence, made of people, IT systems, and data.

iObeya is a unique DVM solution; inherently, human-centricity makes it a key building block to start any Industry 4.0 journey.

With a mature, inclusive technology, iObeya bolsters cross-generational and cross-functional collaboration, promotes digital literacy among the all groups. It empowers teams, reinforces (Lean) corporate culture, paves the way for collaborative ecosystems (with customers, suppliers and partners), and ultimately helps companies built a robust, long-lasting competitive advantage.

Nicola Olivetti, Lean and Industry 4.0 Program Director at iObeya

Author Profile: Nicola Olivetti, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, currently serves as the Lean and Industry 4.0 Program Director at iObeya. Olivetti was previously the Transformation Leader at Nexans, the cable manufacturer and worked for Roland Berger, a strategy consultancy firm. He speaks five languages. Contact Nicola Olivetti at nolivetti@iobeya.com.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Related stories you might also like…

Filed Under: Computing, Features, Promoted Tagged With: automation, change, collaboration, companies, culture, digital, environment, field, human-centric, human-centricity, industry, intelligence, iobeya, lean, management, millennials, nicola, olivetti, operational, people, process, processes, teams, technologies, technology, test, visual, work, workforce

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

Latest articles

  • Neura Robotics and HD Hyundai partner to bring humanoid robots to shipbuilding
  • Exclusive interview with Vorago Technologies: The risks of failure in home robots
  • MIT engineers design new handheld interface that gives ‘anyone the ability to train a robot’
  • Glīd launches ‘world-first’ unmanned autonomous road-to-rail dual mobility platform
  • A robot renaissance with a human focus: Hexagon’s 2035 vision for intelligent autonomy
  • Automotive testing UTAC embarks on global expansion and upgrade program
  • The evolving role of the human worker alongside cobots: Upskilling and new job creation
  • Enterprise Sales Courses That Help Close Bigger Deals
  • Mitsubishi Electric says its robots are ‘bridging skills gaps’ in automation technology
  • Pusan National University scientists develop ‘game-changing method’ to create safer, long-lasting lithium-ion batteries

Secondary Sidebar

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT