Towards understanding the impact of the perceptions about construction innovation on advanced technology adoption

Abstract

While various enablers or inhibitors of advanced technology adoption have been identified, scholars rarely investigate how construction practitioners’ attitudes toward innovation may affect their behaviour. This study aims to investigate (1) how the characterizations of innovation are perceived by construction practitioners; (2) and how may these perceptions affect their companies’ adoption of advanced technology in projects. Data was collected from greater Melbourne Australia through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate when advanced technology is presented as an incremental innovation, a form of innovation that only leads to small and gradual practice changes, construction practitioners and their respective companies generally welcome its adoption. However, if a particular type of advanced technology is perceived as a radical innovation, a form of innovation that can lead to a substantial change in practice and unpredictable outcomes, construction practitioners may resist its adoption. This study reveals successful implementation of advanced technology is not dependent on the organization’s capability, but their motivation to change. With limitations about the sample size and location of data collection, the findings of this study improve our understanding about the organizations’ behavior of advanced technology adoption. Future studies are suggested to be focused on creating the necessary conditions to foster behavioural change.