Rowlinson, S (2007) The temporal nature of forces acting on innovative IT in major construction projects. Construction Management and Economics, 25(3), pp. 227-238. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
Strategic IT implementation decisions for major construction projects in Hong Kong are subject to various forces or factors identified in previous research - such as external forces, technological factors and organizational factors. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship (if any) between these families of forces and evaluate their impact, individually and collectively. A complex combination of several families of forces/factors that affect decision making was found to be 'temporal' with respect to project teams on major projects in Hong Kong. The research was underpinned by a broad questionnaire survey to establish 'current practice' before in-depth analysis of the forces by means of a case study followed by interviews with industry leaders to confirm the results. It was found that respondents (n=33) ordered cost, security and confidentiality as the most influential factors affecting IT implementation. A difference was found in the perceptions of 'hired-in' project-based staff in joint ventures and 'permanent staff' of single companies, the former evaluating IT performance more highly but evaluating the strategic use of, and user satisfaction with, IT significantly lower. The major constraint on IT implementation was found to be lack of budget, not cost per se. It is concluded that the temporal factors that apply to implementing innovative IT technology in project teams are relevant to different team members at different stages in the project life cycle and these factors are conditioned by a set of business conditions applying to project-specific coalition organizations that are different from those that apply to single-entity organizations.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | confidentiality; security; decision making; life cycle; major projects; organizational factors; Hong Kong; case study; questionnaire survey; project team; construction project; joint venture; interview |
| Index terms: | case study, joint venture, Hong Kong, organizational factor, major project, life cycle, project team, implementation, interview, survey, questionnaire, confidentiality, construction project, user satisfaction, decision-making, influential factor |
| Subjects: | decision analysis, professional ethics, Geography, production management, contractual arrangements, strategic project management, project delivery, risk assessment, data collection methods, client relations, business, value management |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Stakeholder Management, Risk Management, Procurement, Legal Issues, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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