Wu, H; Zhang, P; Li, H; Zhong, B; Guo, S; Fung, I W H and Lee, Y Y (2024) Blockchain impact on construction quality management and its adoption analysis: A game theory-based method. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 150(6): 04024039, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Blockchain, essentially a distributed and immutable database, has emerged as a potential solution to governance problems of accountability, transparency, and trust in the construction industry. In terms of construction quality management (CQM) applications, previous works mainly took a technical perspective, and little is known about the potential of blockchain-based governance for quality opportunism. Moreover, we have seen very few successful blockchain implementations in construction practices. Stakeholders meet the trade-off between potential benefits and risks in blockchain adoption decisions. Previous works mainly focused on barrier analysis, neglecting the dynamic interactions of stakeholders' strategic behaviors on adopting blockchains. Against this backdrop, this research aims to systematically analyze blockchain impacts on CQM from a governance perspective and then investigate the owner and the main contractors' strategic behaviors (e.g., adopting blockchains in CQM or not). The agency theory was used as the theoretical lens to examine how blockchain curbs contractors' quality opportunistic behaviors as a governance mechanism. An evolutionary game theory model was developed to simulate adoption decision interactions between the owner and the main contractor. Finally, policy suggestions were highlighted for policymakers. This research could be one of the first studies examining blockchain potential to CQM from an opportunism governance perspective. Such discussions could inspire more discussions on blockchain-based governance and broaden researchers' and practitioners' understandings of blockchain impacts. The proposed policy suggestions from the equilibrium analysis could facilitate blockchain diffusion in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | adoption barriers; blockchain; construction quality management; game theory; opportunistic behaviors governance |
| Index terms: | agency, construction quality, practitioner, accountability, game theory, opportunism, construction industry, implementation, interaction, transparency, blockchain, evolutionary game, opportunistic behaviour, owner, database, main contractor, governance |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, decision models, business, practitioner, computing systems, data management, sociology, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, economic theory, liability law, quality assurance, professional development |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Digital Applications, Legal Issues, Organizational Design, Information Management, Research Practice, Governance, Procurement, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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