Although there are different theories about the adoption and implementation of technological innovation by companies, they have an organization/individual-centered approach. The aim of this study is to propose the Technology–Organization–External–Sustainability (TOES) framework, a technology adoption theory, an extension of the Technology-Organization-(business) Environment (TOE) framework, to assist companies in adopting and implementing technology through a holistic approach. Design Science Research was used to structure the TOES framework and the Delphi method for its evaluation and improvement. To examine the potential of the TOES framework, 40 maturity and readiness models found in the literature were examined, which were created to assist in Industry 4.0 implementation projects, according to their common element of analysis—their dimensions. An important finding was that the TOES framework allowed us to identify that most of these models focused predominantly on technology; therefore, they do not always allow for a general analysis of the company, nor do they consider the external competitive scenario or sustainability as relevant contexts for analysis. The theoretical and practical contribution lies in the presentation of the TOES framework that incorporates sustainability as a relevant context for analysis, expanding the theory of the adoption of technological innovation. Another theoretical contribution is to alert researchers that maturity and readiness models for Industry 4.0 implementation projects should take a more holistic approach. It is suggested to use the TOES framework in other areas of knowledge, such as medicine, engineering, technology, and science, among others, to test its potential.

Industry 4.0, the new production paradigm, has been arousing the interest of researchers around the world, due to its potential for improvements for companies, however little has been studied of its potential in the construction industry. This paper aims to identify which enabling technologies of Industry 4.0 can be applied to improve job security in civil construction. The methodology adopted was literature review, followed by field study / research with interviews with specialists, to identify the possibility of improving work safety in civil construction, through the technologies of Industry 4.0. The results of this research showed that the main technologies listed were: (1st) 3D printing and drone, (2nd) Augmented Reality and Wearable sensors, (3rd) safety vest, (4th) Virtual Reality, (5th) Bionic exoskeleton, (6th) Building Information Modeling (BIM), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), helmet with sensors and smart helmets, (7th) Internet of Things (IoT) and finally, (8th) concrete mixer truck. The theoretical and practical contribution of this work is given by the presentation of technologies from Industry 4.0 that can maximize work safety in the construction industry, mitigating accidents at work, thus collaborating for the management of technology and innovation.

Although Industry 4.0 has received much attention in recent years due to the possibility of increasing companies’ productivity, the implementation process is complex. The aim of this study is to present a holistic model for implementing Industry 4.0 based on cleaner production as a fundamental tool for the development of production systems that meet the Sustainable Development 04026-002Goals (SDGs), and social stakeholders that cooperate with this implementation process, helping to develop sustainable infrastructure, processes and technologies to increase the sustainable transformation of these companies towards Industry 4.0. The method used was literature research, and the Delphi technique was used to ask specialists to contribute with their experience to evaluate and propose improvements to the model, in the form of a consensus. The model contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals 9, 12 and 15. This holistic and sustainable model is a contribution to theory and practice, helping executives, technicians, entrepreneurs and those involved with Industry 4.0 to base the implementation process in the needs and specificities of each company, avoiding the “one fits all” models, considering the peculiarities of each company and the complexity of the implementation process in a more efficient and collaborative digital production ecosystems base, seeking to reduce inequalities, through the joint effort of social stakeholders to find ways to restore and/or improve social harmony, impacted by Industry 4.0.

Frente a um mercado globalizado, competitivo e repleto de inovações tecnológicas, as empresas brasileiras ainda não atentaram para a importância da utilização de patentes como instrumento competitivo, assim como não atentaram para a importância da exploração das patentes como fonte de informação tecnológica. Este artigo procura analisar esses aspectos da gestão da inovação e do desenvolvimento tecnológico através da realização de um trabalho de revisão bibliográfica sobre patentes e gestão de C & T e de pesquisa junto a empresas cadastradas na Associação Nacional de Pesquisa Industrial - ANPEI. Às empresas pesquisadas foi solicitado que respondessem a questões específicas sobre os fatores motivadores e os inibidores na utilização das patentes como instrumento competitivo e na exploração das patentes como fonte de informação tecnológica, procurando estabelecer, através de uma escala, o grau de importância de cada fator. Assim foi possível analisar estatisticamente a relevância de dez fatores motivadores e de dez fatores inibidores para a utilização das patentes como instrumento competitivo e como fonte de informação tecnológica, segmentando-se essa análise de acordo com o porte da empresa. Os resultados da pesquisa trouxeram evidências de que na área de gestão do conhecimento foi considerada como fator motivador mais relevante a possibilidade de recorrer aos documentos patentários publicados e, desse modo, perscrutar o "estado da arte" da pesquisa no setor. O fator inibidor mais relevante, tratando-se ainda a patente como fonte de informação tecnológica, foi considerada a falta de cultura com relação à pesquisa de tecnologia patenteada. Entretanto o maior desestímulo à utilização das patentes como um instrumento competitivo reside na atuação do órgão competente (INPI), principalmente com relação ao tempo de processamento de um pedido de patente. Na área de gestão estratégica, os fatores mais motivadores estão relacionados à obtenção de vantagens competitivas de um monopólio temporário concedido pela patente adquirida e à importância da criação do conceito de empresa inovadora. Em contrapartida, o surgimento de uma eventual tecnologia substituta num processo de difusão da informação é um fator inibidor porque pode vir a encurtar o período de rendimentos extraordinários propiciados pela patente.