Key Dimensions of the Technical Readiness of Small Construction Businesses That Determine Their Intention to Use ICTsShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Journal of Management in Engineering, ISSN 0742-597X, E-ISSN 1943-5479, Vol. 38, no 6, article id 04022055Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
While information communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential to significantly improve construction project outcomes for small builders, their take up is relatively poor as they often face severe resource constraints. Previous construction studies have examined a range of adoption determinants, but there has been no previous research into how much small construction businesses' readiness to use ICTs predicts their intention to use ICTs-readiness being assessed by reviewing the business management's beliefs about ICTs, which are argued herein to have an important influence on the use of ICTs. The widely validated technology readiness (TR) model is used to test four hypotheses concerning the relationship between small builders' readiness and intention to use ICTs in project management. Data from an online survey of 110 small Australian builders were analyzed, with six semi-structured expert interviews later conducted to help validate and interpret the results and provide some context-specific interpretation of the quantitative results. The main finding is that the readiness dimensions of optimism, innovativeness, and insecurity are key determinants of small construction businesses' intention to use ICTs. Thus, this study shows that the use of ICTs is largely dependent on management's beliefs about their benefits and the risks involved. This is particularly significant, because small businesses contribute a large proportion of industry output. © 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2022. Vol. 38, no 6, article id 04022055
Keywords [en]
Construction industry, Information communication technology (ICT) usage, Performance, Small businesses, Technology intention to use, Technology readiness
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-48927DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0001078ISI: 000853929900001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85135191249OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-48927DiVA, id: diva2:1719677
2022-12-152022-12-152022-12-15Bibliographically approved