Diffusion of digital innovation in construction: a case study of a UK engineering firm

Journal article


Shibeika, A. and Harty, C. (2015). Diffusion of digital innovation in construction: a case study of a UK engineering firm. Construction Management and Economics. 33 (5-6), pp. 453-466. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2015.1077982
AuthorsShibeika, A. and Harty, C.
Abstract

The UK government is mandating the use of building information modelling (BIM) in large public projects by 2016. As a result, engineering firms are faced with challenges related to embedding new technologies and associated working practices for the digital delivery of major infrastructure projects. Diffusion of innovations theory is used to investigate how digital innovations diffuse across complex firms. A contextualist approach is employed through an in-depth case study of a large, international engineering project-based firm. The analysis of the empirical data, which was collected over a four-year period of close interaction with the firm, reveals parallel paths of diffusion occurring across the firm, where both the innovation and the firm context were continually changing. The diffusion process is traced over three phases: centralization of technology management, standardization of digital working practices, and globalization of digital resources. The findings describe the diffusion of a digital innovation as multiple and partial within a complex social system during times of change and organizational uncertainty, thereby contributing to diffusion of innovations studies in construction by showing a range of activities and dynamics of a non-linear diffusion process.

Year2015
JournalConstruction Management and Economics
Journal citation33 (5-6), pp. 453-466
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1466-433X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2015.1077982
Publication dates
Print15 Sep 2015
Publication process dates
Accepted26 Jul 2015
Deposited31 Oct 2022
Publisher's version
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File Access Level
Open
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