Digital Maturity Trajectories toward Logistics 4.0: Critical Success Factors and Risk Profiles in Morocco
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23882/ijdam.26395Keywords:
logistique 4.0, digital transformation, digital maturity, risk management, industry 4.0, marocAbstract
This study examines how critical success factors and risk profiles associated with Logistics 4.0 evolve across different levels of organizational digital maturity. An exploratory qualitative multiple-case study was conducted through sixteen semi-structured interviews with logistics, operations and digital transformation managers, as well as executives from Moroccan organizations at different maturity levels. Thematic within-case and cross-case analysis identified four maturity configurations: initial digitalization, structured digitalization, organizational integration, and advanced Logistics 4.0. The findings show that leadership, digital competencies and information-system integration remain important throughout the maturity trajectory, while their roles evolve as digital capabilities deepen. Risk profiles also shift from predominantly human, organizational and financial concerns toward interoperability, cybersecurity, technological dependency and data-governance risks. The study contributes a dynamic perspective on Logistics 4.0 by jointly examining the evolution of critical success factors and risks across maturity configurations. It further suggests that digital maturity should be understood as a cumulative organizational capability rather than a simple measure of technological sophistication.
References
Barney, J. (1991), “Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage”, Journal of Management, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 99-120.
Büyüközkan, G. and Göçer, F. (2018), “Digital supply chain: literature review and a proposed framework for future research”, Computers in Industry, Vol. 97, pp. 157-177, doi: 10.1016/j.compind.2018.02.010.
Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989), “Building theories from case study research”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 532-550.
Frank, A.G., Dalenogare, L.S. and Ayala, N.F. (2019), “Industry 4.0 technologies: implementation patterns in manufacturing companies”, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 210, pp. 15-26, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.01.004.
Frederico, G.F., Garza-Reyes, J.A., Anosike, A. and Kumar, V. (2020), “Supply Chain 4.0: concepts, maturity and research agenda”, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 262-282, doi: 10.1108/SCM-09-2018-0339.
Lezzi, M., Lazoi, M. and Corallo, A. (2021), “Cybersecurity for Industry 4.0 in the current literature: a reference framework”, Computers in Industry, Vol. 103, pp. 97-110.
Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M. and Saldaña, J. (2020), Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook, 4th ed., Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Sony, M. and Naik, S. (2020a), “Critical factors for the successful implementation of Industry 4.0: a review and future research direction”, Production Planning & Control, Vol. 31 No. 10, pp. 799-815, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2019.1691278.
Sony, M. and Naik, S. (2020b), “Key ingredients for evaluating Industry 4.0 readiness for organizations: a literature review”, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 27 No. 7, pp. 2213-2232, doi: 10.1108/BIJ-09-2018-0284.
Spieske, A. and Birkel, H. (2021), “Improving supply chain resilience through Industry 4.0: a systematic literature review under the impressions of the COVID-19 pandemic”, Computers & Industrial Engineering, Vol. 158, 107452, doi: 10.1016/j.cie.2021.107452.
Teece, D.J. (2007), “Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 28 No. 13, pp. 1319-1350.
Teece, D.J., Pisano, G. and Shuen, A. (1997), “Dynamic capabilities and strategic management”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 509-533.
Tornatzky, L.G. and Fleischer, M. (1990), The Processes of Technological Innovation, Lexington Books, Lexington, MA.
Verhoef, P.C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Dong, J.Q., Fabian, N. and Haenlein, M. (2021), “Digital transformation: a multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 122, pp. 889-901, doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022.
Vial, G. (2019), “Understanding digital transformation: a review and a research agenda”, The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 118-144, doi: 10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003.
Winkelhaus, S. and Grosse, E.H. (2020), “Logistics 4.0: a systematic review towards a new logistics system”, International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 58 No. 1, pp. 18-43, doi: 10.1080/00207543.2019.1612964.
Yin, R.K. (2018), Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, 6th ed., Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Zouari, D., Ruel, S. and Viale, L. (2021), “Does digitalising the supply chain contribute to its resilience?”, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 51 No. 2, pp. 149-180, doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-01-2020-0038.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Oumaima ELAAGUIR, Youssef AL MERIOUH

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Portugal







