Atuahene, B T; Kanjanabootra, S and Gajendran, T (2023) Transformative role of big data through enabling capability recognition in construction. Construction Management and Economics, 41(3), pp. 208-231. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Big data application is a significant transformative driver of change in the retail, health, engineering, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Big data studies in construction are still somewhat limited, although there is increasing interest in what big data application could achieve. Through interviews with construction professionals, this paper identifies the capabilities needed in construction firms to enable the accrual of the potentially transformative benefits of big data application in construction. Based on previous studies, big data application capabilities, needed to transform construction processes, focussed on data, people, technology, and organisation. However, the findings of this research suggest a critical modification to that focus to include knowledge and the organisational environment along with people, data, and technology. The research findings show that construction firms use big data with a combination strategy to enable transformation by (a) driving an in-house data management policy to rolling-out the big data capabilities; (b) fostering collaborative capabilities with external firms for resource development, and (c) outsourcing big data services to address the capabilities deficits impacting digital transformation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | big data capabilities; construction; resource-based view; transformation |
| Index terms: | organizational environment, construction process, strategy, big data, construction firm, interview, resource-based view, construction professional, data management, transformation, outsourcing |
| Subjects: | professional development, management, information systems, sociology, building construction, data management, organization, business, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Procurement, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Site Management, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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