Modelling the causal relationships of the readiness factors for industrial internet of things adoption using DEMATEL-based rough set theory

Adopting an emerging technology such as IIoT is a complex process with high risks and failure rate. Therefore, a profound understanding of readiness factors and interrelationships prior to adoption is essential for manufactures. This paper proposes a model framework of the causal relationships of the readiness factors for IIoT adoption using decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-based rough set theory (RST). DEMATEL is to identify the interrelationships among readiness factors, while RST is to capture the ambiguity and subjective information in the decision-making process. The proposed framework is illustrated by taking a case of Thai agro-food processing industry. The finding suggests that the Thai agro-food processing industry needs to focus on three main readiness factors being ‘top management support and commitment’, ‘digital business model’ and ‘strategic technology roadmap for digitalisation’, respectively. This study also provides a deep insight to adopt IIoT for better understanding of the essential readiness factors.