Peansupap, V and Walker, D H T (2004) Strategic adoption of information and communication technology (ICT): Case studies of construction contractors. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 20th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2004, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
Although the benefits from using information and communication technology (ICT) in construction processes is well known, construction companies are still slow in its adoption. One explanation of this trend in slow innovation adoption may be lack of innovation diffusion experience by senior managers who decide whether to be early or late ICT adopters. There is no easy answer to the question why this may be the case. Early adopters have to accept high risks due to uncertainties associated with adopting innovation whereas late adopters may lose any competitive advantage benefits through falling behind with offering novel services. Further, few practical case studies have been published on strategic ICT adoption by construction organisations. This paper aims to increase the understanding of the nature of early and late adopters of ICT and identify risks that may occur. Data from three case studies of large construction contractors' adoption of ICT indicates that construction contractors should be aware of early adoption of ICT risks, particularly if it requires commitment from external project participants. The paper also exposes issues that organisations should consider when adopting strategic ICT.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | adoption decision; strategic adoption; information technology |
| Index terms: | construction company, commitment, innovation adoption, information and communication technology, case study, competitive advantage, innovation diffusion, construction organization, manager, information technology, construction contractor, construction process |
| Subjects: | market analysis, building construction, sociology, innovation studies, computing systems, practitioner, data collection methods, organization, psychology |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Site Management, Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here