Loosely Coupled Systems of Innovation: Aligning BIM Adoption with Implementation in Dutch Construction

As an innovation, Building Information Modelling (BIM) plays a key role in the digital transformation of construction industry. Whereas innovations affect and are affected by organizational behavior, they are better observed at a project level, as they are shaped by a network of various project actors. This study connects intra- (micro-) and inter-organizational (meso-) levels of BIM implementation. To explore the relation between BIM adoption drivers and BIM implementation in projects, three case studies are analyzed qualitatively through the theoretical lens of loosely coupled systems. The findings showed that although individual firms had strong external or internal BIM motivations and visions to adopt BIM innovation, the project networks rarely coordinated to support BIM implementation. Consequently, the project networks that were motivated by ‘internal’ BIM adoption drivers (e.g. quality assurance), implemented BIM collaboratively and flexibly. Contrariwise, networks of firms that adopted BIM simply to comply with ‘external’ demand (e.g. macroscopic market pressures or client demand), were rigid and competitive during BIM implementation and hindered knowledge transfer and innovation change management. Drawing upon the empirical data, other factors affecting BIM implementation and in need for further inter-organizational alignment were corporate compatibility, inter-firm knowledge mobility, and inter-firm power dynamics. The implication is the need for further alignment of visions about BIM innovation decision-making across firms to support effective BIM implementation in projects.

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