Industry 5.0 in Waste Management: Uncovering the Dynamic Capabilities Behind the Transition

Journal title CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Author/s Maria Vincenza Ciasullo, Miriana Ferrara
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/1
Language English Pages 26 P. 137-162 File size 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/cgrds1-2026oa23330
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Industry 5.0 represents a transformative paradigm that addresses disruptive megatrends by calling for a human-centred approach and sustainability orientation. Despite growing academic interest, little is known about how organisations are transitioning towards this innovative strategical posture, particularly in the service businesses. The study addresses this gap by investigating the dynamic capabilities that waste management organisations must activate to undertake the aforemen-tioned transition. Drawing on the Dynamic Capabilities Theory and a qualitative multiple-case study conducted on three Italian waste management firms, data were collected through 18 semi-structured interviews and archival sources and analysed by using the Gioia methodology. The results reveal three aggregate dimensions of capability such as: Waste Ecosystem Scanning Capability; People-Technology Orchestration Capability; Smart Waste Cycle Reconfiguration Capability. All togeth-er, these capabilities constitute an integrated architecture through which organisations perceive environmental complexity, orchestrate technological and human re-sources, and reconfigure their strategic, operational, and relational processes.

Keywords: Industry 5.0; Dynamic Capabilities; Waste Management; Sustainability; Humancentricity; Gioia Methodology

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Maria Vincenza Ciasullo, Miriana Ferrara, Industry 5.0 in Waste Management: Uncovering the Dynamic Capabilities Behind the Transition in "CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STUDIES" 1/2026, pp 137-162, DOI: 10.3280/cgrds1-2026oa23330