Technical and Organizational Barriers to AI and Automation Implementation Maturity: Evidence from Japanese Manufacturing

This study examines technical and organizational barriers to AI and automation implementation maturity in Japanese manufacturing. Two survey waves yielded 112 responses. Ordered logistic models showed a negative technical association only in separate estimation; organizational barriers remained negatively associated in joint estimation. The interaction was unsupported, and firm-size comparisons were exploratory. Strong construct correlation and post hoc measurement diagnostics did not establish discriminant validity. An exploratory general-barriers model also showed a negative association. Findings support assessing organizational and technical conditions together, while cross-sectional data and measurement uncertainty preclude causal conclusions.