Quantitative insights into collaboration in BIM-enabled projects: A PLS-SEM approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a quantified model for influential factors in the collaboration process in Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM-based Construction Networks (BbCNs), which comprise teams of specialist organisations engaged to execute BIM-related activities, have become the centrepiece of collaboration in construction projects. In BbCNs, however, a lack of effective collaboration among teams remains a major barrier to receiving the full benefits of BIM. Despite this importance, the role of influential factors in collaboration in BbCNs has remained somewhat esoteric in nature in various previous studies, in which the present study attempts to address this gap. Design/methodology/approach – To develop the quantified model for collaboration in BbCNs, primary empirical data was collected from a questionnaire survey of BIM experts in the construction industry. This data was subsequently analysed through the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique using SmartPLS software as a viable and robust package for PLS-SEM analysis. Findings – Quantification of associations to collaboration in BbCNs reveals that unlike the common beliefs espoused in previous studies on collaboration in BbCNs, the lack of BIM-related tools and technologies is no longer the key concern of effective collaboration in BbCNs. Instead, ethical and managerial factors including "ethical approaches", "liabilities" and "BIM manager role" were found to be in need of more attention for effective collaboration in BbCNs. Practical implications – Through presenting the first quantified model for collaboration in BbCNs, findings provide a point of reference for practitioners for coaching and managing teams. So too, the findings can be translated into a set of guiding principles for the world of practice for enhancing collaboration in BbCNs. Originality/value – This paper makes a significant contribution to the field by quantifying the factors that impact collaboration within BbCNs settings. It meticulously assesses the degree of influence wielded by these factors and provides empirical numerical evidence to demonstrate that the lack of BIM tools and software is comparatively less concerning in fostering collaboration within BbCNs when contrasted with human-related factors. This original contribution surpasses prior qualitative evaluations by introducing a systematic framework for ranking and comparing other influential factors, thereby advancing relevant theoretical constructs into the realm of quantitative analysis.