Link to download the dissertation (in Portuguese)
Abstract:
Ecodesign Maturity Model (EcoM2) is intended to help companies in the management and application of ecodesign, from the selection of management practices to be incorporated into the PDP and related processes. This selection is derived from the first stage’s results of the model’s method application, the “diagnosis of the current profile of maturity in ecodesign”. This diagnosis characterizes in detail the company in relation to their ability to apply these practices and underlies improvement projects creation, being the only assessment method in the model. Other maturity models have, in addition to a detailed diagnosis, a simplified evaluation. Simplified diagnosis draws a high level profile of existing practices within the company in a short time, guiding future investigations. This study sought to explore these advantages and develop a simplified diagnosis method. The methodological approach Design Research Methodology steered this method development, with use of literature review and case study to identify its other requirements. The data collection procedures/instruments and the building blocks of the method related with the current situation in the maturity models context have been identified in the literature. To select the data collection procedure/instrument, an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses was conducted in relation to raised requirements, with the aid of two morphological matrices. This evaluation of the usefulness and ease of use of the simplified diagnostic method and its alignment with the EcoM2 was held in a case study at the same enterprise where the EcoM2 was applied. The identified requirements for the construction of the method were (a) assess the current situation of the company in a shorter time than the traditional method of EcoM2 at a high level; (b) involve only one employee at the evaluation; (c) be conducted by an external agent; (d) act as a pre-diagnosis step; and (e) avoid using technical terms at the evaluation. They were used to analyze four data collection procedures – document analysis, observation, interviews and workshops – and three instruments – questionnaires, matrices and pro-forms. As a result, questionnaire and interview were selected. The method construction considered the elements of a meta-model from maturity models developed to assess the company and driving steps of organizational diagnosis. In the test case study, the method received top marks in the assessment criteria for both the utility and ease of use. The results show that the simplified diagnosis meets its requirements, since its simple, clear, fast, and there is no need for the involvement of other employees. For alignment with the original model, the comparison between the two resulting profiles, after conversion scale, showed that 93.94% of the responses of the two diagnoses were similar. These results allow the current diagnostic method expansion for a simplified assessment of the companys reality, by drawing up a profile at a high level of formal processes related to performed ecodesign within the company.