Noruwa, B; Merschbrock, C; Arewa, A O and Agyekum-Mensah, G (2018) Institutional foundations of construction ICT: A view from the West midlands of England. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 34th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2018, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
Construction industry is of strategic importance to economic development and growth within any region and nation. However, the industry is confronted by many challenges resulting in poor labour productivity among others. Part of the explanation frequently provided in the literature is that the industry has been slow to adopt and institutionalize useful information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve project delivery. The research question asked in this article is: “To what degree has construction firms operating in the West-Midlands institutionalized ICT to deliver their projects and how can this process be improved?” These questions are asked for two reasons. The first is to understand if slow ICT adoption is really the case and second, to inquire what can be done about it. Analysis of archive data obtained from completed and ongoing construction projects in the region that implemented diverse emerging technologies in automation and digitalisation was carried out. Furthermore, focus group interview with industry experts discussing the institutionalization of ICT innovations was conducted. Institutional theory was used to analyse the regulative, normative and cultural cognitive pressures present. This paper conceptualize how current regulations, incentives, and perceptions in the region impact how firms implement innovations. Findings show why ICT and automation, for varying reasons have not received the deserved priority. This study assists in understanding how cultural cognitive, normative regulative factors can speed up the implementation of emerging ICT technologies in the region. This study is part of an ongoing PhD study that seek to investigate the impact of emerging technologies in UK Construction Industry. This study will benefit the UK government, organisations, contractors and academics to have a robust developed theoretical framework about emerging technologies and future improvements in the industry.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | institutionalization; ICT; construction industry |
| Index terms: | emerging technology, construction project, regulation, labour productivity, construction industry, implementation, foundations, automation, project delivery, institutional theory, England, interview, economic development, information and communication technology, digitalization, focus group, construction firm, institutionalization |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, organization, computing systems, digital technology, contractual arrangements, innovation and technology management, project delivery, structural engineering, economic development, management, Geography, production management, automation and robotics, sociology, industry analysis, political science |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Governance, Procurement, Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Site Management, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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