Zulu, S L; Saad, A; Ajayi, S and Unuigbe, M (2023) Determinants of an effective digital transformation in construction organisations: A qualitative investigation. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 13(6), pp. 896-912. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose: Digital uptake amongst construction organisations is described as slow and ineffective, undermining a fundamental transformation and limiting construction firms from exploiting the digital benefits. In this space, meaningful research that utilises a qualitative approach in pursuit for employees' insights towards digital transformation is lacking. Such limited focus from previous efforts presents an opportunity to illuminate the determinants of an effective digital transformation that are, arguably, responsible for the status quo of low digital uptake in the construction sector. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned idea. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative approach to address the literature's digital discreetness in construction. The qualitative approach captures employees' perspectives through its unbounded characteristic of encouraging illustration and discussion. Findings: This paper captures 35 digital transformation determinants under three clusters, namely, organisation related, i.e. hierarchy, size and management, people related, i.e. team orientation, training and knowledge and leadership related, i.e. awareness, attitude, approach and leaders' characteristics. Findings suggest a new set of arguments in relation to understudied factors and their influence on the digital uptake in construction organisations. Originality/value: This paper offers empirical indication of the determinants believed to influence an effective digital transformation in construction organisations. Such conceptualisation is crucial and is depicted as perceived by construction employees and practitioners, which is a less biased approach than that of comparable studies that argue the viewpoints of industry leaders in isolation of other members of the hierarchy.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction organization; digital innovation; digital transformation; digitalization; organizational change; qualitative techniques |
| Index terms: | digitalization, organizational change, construction organization, construction firm, transformation, qualitative approach, construction employee, investigation, practitioner, methodology, construction sector, determinant |
| Subjects: | digital technology, risk assessment, data collection methods, organization, business, practitioner, industry analysis, research methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Business Strategy, Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Digital Applications, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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