Research in Industrial Engineering: A Gnoseological Syntagm Based on a Holistic Understanding of Science

Abstract

Industrial engineering is undergoing a profound and irreversible transformation, marked by a shift from mechanistic approaches focused on technical efficiency toward the management of complexity within contemporary sociotechnical ecosystems. This essay advances the gnoseological syntagm as a key epistemological category to overcome the discipline’s historical fragmentation, coherently integrating technical, human, ethical, and algorithmic dimensions into a unified architecture of meaning. Through a critical analysis of the Taylorist legacy in contrast with the rise of digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, it argues that contemporary productivity can no longer be understood as a purely technical outcome, but rather as an emergent property of the interaction between social and technological dimensions. Within the framework of holistic research and its spiral of complexity, a model of knowledge development is proposed that redefines the role of the industrial engineer, orienting it toward the figure of a knowledge strategist capable of articulating multiple levels of analysis and action. This approach entails not only an expansion of competencies but also a reconfiguration of disciplinary thinking toward more integrative perspectives. The analysis concludes that the future of industrial engineering lies in its capacity to embrace holistic integration beyond traditional technical instrumentalism. This shift represents a qualitative leap that demands the articulation of analytical rigor with systemic sustainability and an inescapable human responsibility in contexts defined by uncertainty, continuous innovation, and growing global interdependence.