Oke, A E; Aliu, J and Onajite, S A (2024) Barriers to the adoption of digital technologies for sustainable construction in a developing economy. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 20(3), pp. 431-447. ISSN 1745-2007
Abstract
Existing studies have described the construction sectors in developing countries as lagging in the implementation of digital technologies (DTs) and still have some way to go to achieve digital transformation. The study was therefore construed to explore the barriers affecting the adoption of DTs for construction sustainability in Nigeria. A scoping literature review was conducted through which 23 barriers to the adoption of DTs were identified, which helped in the formulation of a questionnaire survey. Data was obtained from construction professionals including architects, builders, engineers, and quantity surveyors. Retrieved data were analyzed using several statistical tools such as percentages, frequencies, mean item scores, and exploratory factor analyses. Factor analysis revealed five clusters that are categorized as organizational, management, technical, regulatory, and economic. This study has the potential to guide researchers and industry practitioners on the need to develop an awareness of the need for innovation to foster the efficiency and productivity of construction projects. The evaluation of the key barriers facing the adoption of DTs would be beneficial to construction organizations, professional bodies, and the government with the view of achieving digital transformation of the sector. A major contribution of this study to the body of knowledge is that it describes how developing economies such as Nigeria where the adoption of DTs is slow can mitigate the identified barriers to achieving digital transformation. Thus, the findings of this study can serve as a basis for construction organizations in Nigeria and similar countries seeking the digital transformation of their activities.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Architecture; Building information modeling; construction innovation; cypher-physical system; digital technologies; sustainability; Green development; Quantity surveying; Construction industry; Construction; Factor analysis; Literature reviews; Cluster analysis; Organizations; Developing countries--LDCs; Project engineering; Digital technology; Nigeria |
| Index terms: | construction innovation, construction industry, body of knowledge, implementation, construction sector, digital technology, architect, practitioner, questionnaire, factor analysis, green development, project engineering, construction professional, cluster analysis, construction project, transformation, survey, Nigeria, builder, developing economy, productivity, engineer, literature review, surveying, sustainable construction, construction organization, efficiency, developing country, exploratory factor analysis, quantity surveying, building information modelling |
| Subjects: | performance management, management, economic development, sustainable construction, professional development, development economics, sustainable design, Geography, production management, building construction, statistical analysis, information systems, industry analysis, organization, business, profession, data collection methods, practitioner, computing systems, control systems, health monitoring assessment and metrics, knowledge management, contractual arrangements, data analysis and analytics |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Procurement, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Digital Applications, International Construction, Quality Management |
| 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