Determinants of an effective digital transformation in construction organisations: a qualitative investigation
Built Environment Project and Asset Management
ISSN: 2044-124X
Article publication date: 6 November 2023
Issue publication date: 10 November 2023
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.
Keywords
Citation
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, Vol. 13 No. 6, pp. 896-912. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-02-2023-0045
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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