Determinants of immersive technology acceptance in the construction industry: management perspective

Abstract

PurposeThe usefulness of technology for managing projects in the construction industry is indisputable. The potential utility of immersive technologies (ImTs), including virtual and augmented reality, has recently received significant attention. However, the construction industry, especially in developing countries, lags on the implementation of technology generally and ImTs specifically. Forecasting the potential successful ImTs acceptance at the individual level is essential to strategic planning. The study's objective was to develop and test a conceptual model of factors influencing ImTs acceptance at the individual level in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachA survey of construction management-level professionals in South Africa was undertaken. The study extended two complementary models, the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), to analyze behavior towards technology acceptance using structural equation modelling.FindingsResults indicated that attitude significantly influenced the intention to use ImTs and perceived usefulness (PU) positively and significantly predicted the intention to use and usage attitude (UA). Further, the effects of perceived enjoyment (PEn) on UA, and social norms (SNs) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on intention to use were positive and significant. Perceived ease of use (PEU) had negative and non-significant effects on intention to use and UA. By explaining 82% of the variance, the study established that the proposed model successfully evaluates how management-level professionals in the construction industry accept ImTs.Practical implicationsThe study provides valuable insight into the acceptance of ImTs from the perspective of management-level stakeholders in the South African construction industry. It offers fundamental direction to create a general theory on integrating ImTs in construction.Originality/valueThis study systematically surveyed the intention to accept ImTs in the South African construction industry using an extension of the TAM and TPB models.

Awareness and adoption of wearable technologies for health and safety management in the Nigerian construction industry

“…(2020), who revealed that the awareness of technologies in the construction industry is low in Africa. Moreover, the result is consistent with the finding of Okoro et al . (2022) who opined that there is low awareness with regard to technologies that could enhance H&S practices in South Africa.…”

Bibliometric and content analyses of research on technology use in real estate facilities management

“…Additionally, quantitative techniques could be used to evaluate the impact of the identified technologies and benefits on the performance of technology-adopting FM firms. Previous studies revealed technology adoption influencers among management-level professionals, for example, Okoro et al (2023), which identified the determinants of immersive (advanced) technology acceptance in the construction industry. However, this was focused on activities in the construction stage.…”

“…More so, introducing technologies can be done in an integrative and responsive manner, integrating high and low technology solutions and easing the employees into it as they familiarise themselves with the new systems in response to their needs, a view shared by Arabshahi et al (2017). This is crucial because employees’ behavioural intention and usage attitude, as well as organisation readiness, can influence innovation diffusion and technology implementation, and with specific users’ evolving work requirements, complex and generic solutions may take time to implement in different contexts and practices (Greenhalgh et al , 2017; Okoro et al , 2023).…”

“…These are critical areas in FM (Carbonari et al , 2018; Munawar et al , 2020; Tarek and Marzouk, 2022). In addition, adopting new technologies may not be well received by the intended users, a view supported by Okoro et al (2023). Consequently, attention to how employees perceive changes in the workplace and change management systems is critical as this may affect adoption, a view supported by Musonda and Okoro (2022) and Sim (2022).…”

Examining the slow acceptance of HR analytics in the Indian engineering and construction industry: a SEM-ANN-based approach

“…Although many organizations consider HR analytics crucial for empowering their businesses (Arora et al, 2021), its implementation in the engineering and construction industry is a major concern. While the use of technology may enhance the efficiency of organizational productivity in the construction sector, its adoption is still a matter of concern (Chen et al, 2019), specifically in developing countries (Okoro et al, 2022). Moreover, the use and dissemination of data-driven decision-making (DDD) in the engineering and construction sector is limited (Ahmed et al, 2018).…”