Innovation diffusion at the implementation stage of a construction project: case study of information communication technology

Interest in construction industry (CI) innovation, particularly in information communication technology (ICT), has been steadily growing with the advent and widespread use of the Internet. However, despite its potential for delivering competitive advantage, many companies have failed to effectively realize promised benefits from ICT due to misunderstanding the relationship between factors and processes influencing ICT implementation. Results from recent in-depth qualitative ICT implementation research on three construction contractors provides useful insights and practical experience of lessons learned that can be more broadly disseminated. These research results provide an ICT innovation diffusion organizational level framework with insights about how it may be applied to improve ICT adoption at different implementation stages for the CI. They suggest that strategic ICT implementation planning needs to consider issues of critical management support, technical support, supportive workplace environment and ICT users' individual-characteristics so that the framework processes offered can be effectively applied

Information communication technology (ICT) implementation constraints: a construction industry perspective

PURPOSE - The purpose of this paper is to report upon research undertaken on deployment of information communication technology (ICT) diffusion initiatives in the Australian construction industry. The paper seeks to explain how innovation implementation drivers and barriers facilitate diffusion at the organisational, group and individual levels. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH - Data from two web-based document management case studies and one intranet document management system case study are used to analyse ICT diffusion dynamics within three large information technology (IT) literate Australian construction firms. The sample was purposefully limited to large IT-literate construction contracting organisations with a need to use ICT for their operational effectiveness. FINDINGS - Constraints at the personal level include limited budget for ICT investment, commitment from other project participants, issues of ICT standardisation, and security problems. At the organisational level, constraints include basic levels computer experience, time available to learn, and the identification of clear benefits of ICT use. Constraints at the group level include time available to share information, quality of personal contact and geographical distance. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS - The sample was purposefully limited to large IT-literate construction contracting organisations with a need to use ICT for their operational effectiveness. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS - The driver and barrier models presented indicate that ICT innovation implementation requires intense management interventions to facilitate a supportive workplace environment that strongly links personal and organisational resource investment with demonstrated outcome benefits. ORIGINALITY/VALUE - This study provides rich insights of the dynamics of ICT innovation implementation. Few studies in the literature have provided such insights that link the organisational, group and individual levels

Determinants for students perceived potential of BIM use

Newly graduated students are shown to constitute an important source of innovation withinthe architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. In relation to digital technologies likeBIM (Building Information Modelling) that is claimed to have a potential to transform the industry,newly graduated students may play a vital role in innovating with BIM. The paper aims to exploredeterminants for students perceived potential of BIM use (PPBU) and the role of the educationalbackground. The aim will be achieved by analysing the results from a survey conducted among thirdand fourth-year students in construction and civil engineering in Hong Kong, Sweden, and Thailand (n= 194). When the different groups are compared Swedish and Thai students perceive a significant higherPPBU than Hong Kong students. In a step-wise multiple regression analysis five predictors for PPBUwere identified for Thai respectively Swedish students, and one predictor was identified for Hong Kongstudents. It is concluded that in the contemporary BIM-discourse it is claimed that BIM can/shouldtransform the industry, and BIM is even seen as a disruptive technology, and newly graduated studentswill contribute to (digitally driven) innovation. However, from the predictors of PPBU, the question canraised if the awareness of the need for structural changes is lacking in the education, if students later intheir working life should contribute to a BIM-induced transformation of the industry

Redefining ICT Embeddedness in the Construction Industry: Maximising Technology Diffusion Capabilities to Support Agility

Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) research often engages linear approaches for embedding/implementing/diffusing new technology into existing business systems and processes. However, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) often fail to deliver their full potential for a number of reasons. This paper presents these challenges and highlights the need to embrace equifinality as part of a structured approach for improving impact diffusion. The central tenet and foci of this work rests with the optimization of AEC business agility. Given this, a multiple case study approach using three large construction organizations (in Turkey) was used to capture primary data from 30 respondents – representing viewpoints from three management levels: top management, middle management and first line management. Findings are presented in the form of a conceptual framework, the details of which highlight the constructs needed (inter alia ICT adoption/diffusion) to develop organizational: (i) responsiveness, (ii) flexibility and (iii) corporate competence

EXPLORING CRITICAL CONFLICT ISSUES BETWEEN PUBLIC OWNERS AND CONTRACTORS DURING CONSTRUCTION PHASE

The Thirteenth East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction (EASEC-13), September 11-13, 2013, Sapporo, Japan

An exploratory approach to the diffusion of ICT in a project environment

The research aims to understand the nature of ICT diffusion at the intra-organisational level. It uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to identify factors and processes influencing ICT diffusion at the actual implementation phase. The result indicates that management, individual and technology group factors are essential to ICT diffusion at the initial adoption stage. In addition, the integration of change management and knowledge sharing and learning theory to diffusion of innovation theory can help to better explain ICT diffusion at the actual implementation stage

Exploratory factors influencing ICT diffusion and adoption within Australian construction organisations - a micro analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore and identify factors affecting adoption and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in large ICT-experienced Australian construction organizations. During 2002 the researchers undertook an online survey, supplemented by a hardcopy collection option, to gather data from three major construction organizations with many years experience with implementing and adopting IT. The analysis concentrated on a common class of ICT adopted across the three organizations so that factor analysis could be validly undertaken. Results identified 11 factors that were found to influence ICT diffusion and adoption by the organizations that were grouped into management, individual, technology and workplace environment categories. These concurred with theory from the change management, innovation diffusion and organizational learning literature. Further, in-depth qualitative analysis through case studies (beyond the scope of this paper) also helped to explain and make sense of the results. The results help to better explain human related factors in particular in terms of the broader and emerging literature of organizational learning and innovation adoption with a clear focus on how the people-side of ICT diffusion and adoption is undertaken. This ICT diffusion and adoption study is undertaken at the firm-level (micro analysis) as opposed to the industry level (macro analysis) and so provides insights into the interplay between diffusion and adoption concepts

Exploratory factors influencing design practice learning within a Thai context

Abstract: Purpose – Development of staff learning enhances work productivity and sustains organizational development. In particular, design practitioners require both theoretical knowledge and mentoring with their practical experience. Without extensive knowledge, designers may produce design work errors that produce poor quality of work and this leads to project cost and time overruns. This paper aims to explore staff's perception of the factors that influence learning in construction design companies. Design/methodology/approach – Twenty-six variables are reviewed from literature, and evaluated by 70 designers from construction design and consulting firms in Thailand. A factor analysis technique is applied to the group of identified variables. Findings – Eight factors that affect staff learning are identified: organizational support for learning; group learning; individual learning and sharing; absorptive capability; personal relationships; characteristics of the knowledge source; learning equilibrium; and work characteristics. Practical implications – Knowledge of these factors can help senior managers deal with learning within these kinds of organizations. In addition, these factors can be used to assess the level of support that facilitates learning within an organization. Originality/value – Construction designers have had scant attention paid to them by researchers regarding how they develop their learning. Moreover, recent work on knowledge transfer in the construction industry has tended to focus on countries such as the UK and Australia, with little work done in Asian countries. This paper attempts to help bridge that gap within a design context using data from Thai construction design companies

Constraints on the ICT diffusion within large Australian construction firms

Many practitioners and academics realise the importance of implementing information and communication technology (ICT) in construction organisations and identify various success factors influencing ICT implementation. However, few of them can adequately explain the barriers that may occur during from initial adoption to actual implementation stages. To fill the above gap, this paper adopts innovation diffusion concept and highlights the constraints of ICT diffusion within large Australian construction firms. Two case studies of web-based document management and one case study of Intranet document management systems are used to support our explanation. Our research results indicate that at the organisational level, these constraints are: a limited ICT investment budget; organisational adoption gaps; and business results gaps. The scope of this paper precludes us from discussing personal level and group level constraints that we have identified. However an understanding of the organisational level constraints may help us become more aware of possible ICT implementation delays at that level and solutions for these constraints are proposed in this paper

Factors enabling information and communication technology diffusion and actual implementation in construction organisations

Emerging information and communication technology (ICT) introduces opportunities for improving communication to enhance effectiveness of many construction processes at each project phase as well as creating new business opportunities. Thus, perceived ICT benefits have motivated numerous construction organisations to adopt and invest in this technology. However, many construction organisations have found that the ICT investment has failed to meet their expectations. One significant problem is a lack of understanding of how to actually implement ICT into a construction organisation. This may lead to ICT implementation failure or retardation by all users within a construction organisation. In addition, a lack of focus on actual ICT implementation may explain why ICT implementation problems still occur. Before substantial progress can be made to remedy deficiencies in ICT implementation, a better understanding is needed about the context and influence of a range of workplace, organisational and personal factors on ICT implementation. The general focus of this paper is directed upon ICT implementation in construction organisations, with a specific focus using results from a study of a small but indicative sample of Australian ICT literate construction organisations. An improved understanding of ICT implementation can be achieved through a general survey of the literature and then testing theory developed from the literature using a representative pool of general construction organisation. Alternatively, a narrow focus could be directed at organisations that are already well experienced in the use of ICT. The authors concentrated upon Australian construction organisations with over a decade of experience in ICT implementation so that salient lessons learned could be more readily available for dissemination more widely. This paper attempts to fill ICT implementation gaps by focusing on ICT diffusion at the actual implementation stage. Its primary objective is to understand the nature of ICT diffusion within a construction organisation. It focuses on a review of the theory relating to ICT implementation. A list of 46 essential variables was developed from integration of three main theories: innovation diffusion, change management, and knowledge management. The paper also provides a brief summary of the variables tested through using factor analysis. Results indicate that these 46 variables formed 11 factors that can be grouped into management, individual characteristics, technology and workplace environment clusters. The contribution that this paper makes is to rigorously identify and discuss the nature and extent of intraorganisational factors influencing ICT diffusion within large ICT-experienced construction organisations. This will be useful for those interested in this area and provides a current literature review