Construction Innovation in the Province of Quebec: Barriers, Drivers, Enablers and Impact

Abstract

According to several studies, innovation in construction remains the most promising way to improve the productivity of this sector. However, construction is recognized as a field that is not very innovative, notably because of the lack of capacity of companies and their under-investment in research and development. More specifically, studies have shown that the construction sector is one of the least digitized, even though many innovations involve a significant digital part. There are several reasons for this gap, lack of understanding of their benefits and potential outcomes ranking chiefly among them. The study presented in this article aimed to address this gap and answer the following questions: What are the dynamics of innovation in the Quebec construction industry? What impacts do they have, particularly on construction site productivity? A survey was conducted to identify the factors and challenges hindering innovation and the types of innovations implemented in the construction industry in Quebec. The target audience was mainly composed of contractors. The results show a strong enthusiasm for innovation on the part of the respondents. However, the support they receive for technological development is considered insufficient. In addition, their lack of experience in the field, time constraints and the lack of benefits of innovation are the main obstacles to the implementation of innovations. In the operationalization of innovation implementation, the employees training, consulting services and the integration of innovation into the companies’ business strategy are the most frequent. Lastly, for the contractors having implemented innovations, a strong majority have reaped cleat benefits, namely an improvement on productivity, and have calculated a positive return-on-investment.