Embedded contexts of innovation

Abstract

Purpose-The radical innovation process behind the adoption and implementation of building information modeling (BIM) for a specialty contracting small or medium enterprise (SME) was studied. This article offers two distinct perspectives on BIM adoption and implementation, which are underrepresented in the current literature: the SME perspective and the specialty contractor perspective. It also attempts to bridge the gap between the growing literature on BIM adoption and implementation and the established literature on innovation by developing the notion of embedded contexts in the innovation process. Design/methodology/approach-A mixed-method, longitudinal case study approach was employed in this research project to study the evolution of the innovation process and its impact on the Organisation over time. The objectives of this research were to investigate and document the different factors mediating the BIM adoption and implementation process for the Organisation across various contexts, the mechanisms put in place to facilitate this process, and the perceived impact within the Organisation. Findings-The initial transition to BIM represented a radical innovation for the Organisation. Subsequently, a series of incremental innovations took place to further advance the Organisation's BIM capabilities. This innovation process is influenced by different layers of embedded contextual factors, which can be mitigated by, among others, a clear strategic approach towards the innovation process approach. Specialty contractors can leverage BIM within their own supply chain and reap significant benefits. Originality/value-This article offers an in-depth study of radical innovation within a specialty contracting SME. This study discusses the influence of four embedded contexts on innovation for a specialty contracting SME: (a) the industry context; (b) the institutional context; (c) the organisational context; and (d) the project context. It also offers insight into the factors, mechanisms and their impact on the innovation process.

BIM adoption within Australian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs): an innovation diffusion model

“…A medium-sized company is specified via its range of employees between 20 up to 200 people. In line with this definition, SMEs in Australia represent around 98% of the construction sector, with similar percentages applicable to other countries including the US, the UK (Forsythe, 2014) and Canada (Poirier, Staub-French and Forgues, 2015a).…”

“…It is widely believed in construction literature that SMEs are typically lagging behind large-sized firms in embracing innovation and technological advancements (Acar et al, 2005;Bröchner and Lagerqvist, 2016;Shelton, Martek and Chen, 2016). This is similarly the case for BIM (Forsythe, 2014;McGraw Hill, 2014;Poirier, Staub-French and Forgues, 2015a) due to a number of barriers as discussed next. (Gibson, Rispoli and Leung, 2011;Seens, 2015) 100 < Medium < 499 $1 million < Medium < $5 million…”

“…BIM has been conceptualised as a technological innovation in a number of recent studies (Brewer and Gajendran, 2012;Cao, Li and Wang, 2014;Poirier, Staub-French and Forgues, 2015a). Even more, dealing with BIM adoption through the lenses of innovation adoption is recommended as the most effective approach for exploring BIM adoption in construction companies (Murphy, 2014).…”

“…In addition, visualisation of project information via 3D, 4D and 5D modelling capabilities enhances the quality of communications on projects (McGraw Hill, 2014;Stanley and Thurnell, 2014). Considering the small size of projects handled by SMEs, implementing BIM in SMEs could be highly advantageous resulting in noticeable productivity gains (Poirier, Staub-French and Forgues, 2015a;Poirier, Staub-French and Forgues, 2015b;Rodgers et al, 2015). That is because, smaller groups of project participants and shorter project duration offer vast opportunities for reaping the benefits of BIM (Engineers Australia, 2014) and possible swift organisational changes (Arayici et al, 2011).…”

“…Therefore, barriers to BIM adoption within SMEs have remained underrepresented in the existing literature (Poirier, Staub-French and Forgues, 2015a), particularly within the Australian context (Forsythe, 2014). Despite such scant attention devoted to BIM in SMEs, this area is of outmost importance for the Australian construction industry in view of the fact that "…smaller firms will continue to dominate the construction industry landscape far into the future."…”