ICT Innovation Diffusion in the Construction Sector: a framework for success

In ICT development focus has for long, maybe too long, been on design and analyses issues, especially in sectors with a strong technical orientation like AEC and not on the diffusion perspective. Many variables will influence a company or individual when deciding to, or not to, adopt or implement an innovation. Recent research on innovation diffusion in the construction sector show that a way to increase opportunities for diffusion in the construction sector is to stop considering diffusion as a discrete activity following on from the development of the innovation. It is therefore of great importance to map the issues and demands needed to be fulfilled in order to implement new ICT tools in the construction sector, for example the need to involve possible users and other parties that have an influence on the implementation already in the development phase.

The main objective of this project is to increase the possibility of successful implementation and adoption of new ICT tools in the construction sector across the supply chain through increasing the knowledge and awareness of how to execute suitable development and diffusion/implementation schemes. This research carried out in this study consists of two main parts. The first part is a literature study and the second part consists of a case studies.

The project based characteristics together with the fragmented organisation of the construction process do not allow for the traditional models of innovation and innovation diffusion to be applied directly. The need for stakeholder management right up from the start of the innovation projects and how to deal with it is the major difference between traditional innovation project management and the one necessary for innovation projects in construction, ICT innovations as well as others. To what extent the results have been diffused successfully, and even knowing what successfully diffusion should be characterised by, has been difficult. What is clear is that for those involved in the projects it has mean an increase in knowledge.