Information Technology and Cultural Change in the Construction Industry

Author(s):  
Yvan J. Beliveau
2021 ◽  
pp. 239496432110497
Author(s):  
Umberto Tinazzi

There is a gap of knowledge between practitioners about the off-site construction. For this reason, the Manni Group case study presented in this article highlights the positive role of dissemination as business value proposition support in the context of off-site construction industry. The Manni Group involved opinion leaders, professionals, universities and industrial partners in a network of dissemination that, going beyond the concept of advertising, it generated a multiple effect of value creation between the direct and indirect involved stakeholders. Dissemination emerges as a model of action that creates impacts on cultural change. It is scalable and applicable in many areas where actors have the right competences to manage the dissemination. Wherever there is a knowledge gap or friction towards new techniques and methodologies, the model is able to create value for companies and stakeholders involved in the emerging network.


Author(s):  
Rateb Sweis ◽  
Ghaleb Sweis ◽  
Ghalia Attar ◽  
Ayman Abu Hammad

Despite the popularity of Information Technology and job satisfaction research, little empirical evidence exists of the relationship between IT adoption and job satisfaction within the Jordanian construction industry. This research fills these knowledge gaps by exploring the relationship between IT adoption and job satisfaction from the perspective of construction companies, contractors, consultants, and architectural and engineering firms in Jordan. Measures were developed using MSQ and IT Barometer surveys. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to investigate this relationship among different companies from the Jordanian construction sector. Descriptive statistics were obtained and hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis. Results show that more investment in technology would increase employee job satisfaction regarding intrinsic, extrinsic, and general perspectives.


Author(s):  
Alok Mishra

HR executives are looking to technology and the information it provides to help them drive decisions that will lead to success of the organization as a whole (Wilcox, 1997). Snell, Stueber, and Lepak (2002) observe that HR can meet the challenge of simultaneously becoming more strategic, flexible, cost-efficient, and customer-oriented by leveraging information technology (IT). They point out that IT has the potential to lower administrative costs, increase productivity, speed response times, improve decision-making, and enhance customer service all at the same time. The need for cost reduction, higher quality services, and cultural change are the three main forces that drive firms to seek IT-driven HR solutions (Yeung & Brockbank, 1995). The rapid development of the Internet during the last decade has boosted the implementation and application of electronic human resource management (e-HRM) (Strohmeier, 2007). According to Strohmeier (2007) e-HRM is the (planning, implementation and) application of information technology for both networking and supporting at least two individual or collective actors in their shared performing of HR activities. Virtual HR is emerging due to the growing sophistication of IT and increased external structural options (Lepak & Snell, 1998). Surveys of HR consultants suggest that both the number of organizations adopting e-HRM and the depth of applications within the organizations are continually increasing (CedarCrestone, 2005). IT is beginning to enable organizations to deliver state-of the- art HR services. Many experts forecast that the PC will become the central tool for all HR professionals (Kovach & Cathcart, 1999).


Author(s):  
Dan Lim

Many people in higher education wonder where the rapid changes in information technology are going to take them. Many more fear that the ongoing information technology explosion may eventually leave them behind. Due to entrenched mindsets and bureaucracy in higher education, fostering a technology cultural change requires paradigm shifts in all areas of administration, teaching, and research. A fundamental paradigm shift must happen in four areas before a technology cultural change can be set on a forward path. This chapter focuses on four essential components of a paradigm shift in technology and higher education at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). This case describes how a paradigm shift model can help to promote a long-term technology cultural change in a higher education institution. The model consists of technology commitment, technology philosophy, investment priority, and development focus. It has been used at UMC to bring about a reengineering of the entire institution to support a ubiquitous laptop environment throughout the curriculum and campus. The model has helped UMC achieve an overwhelming success in utilizing laptop computing and other technology to enhance learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edelmiro F. Escamilla ◽  
Mohammadreza Ostadalimakhmalbaf ◽  
Fatemeh Pariafsai ◽  
Nikhil Ranka ◽  
Mohammadmehdi Danesh ◽  
...  

As the construction industry advances technologically, it becomes imperative to introduce the respective information technology tools to present-day curriculum. This research study was conducted to identify any significant differences in student performance contributed by using an information technology tool, specifically the Apple® iPad® tablet. IPad tablets were used to electronically present construction drawings to a treatment group, and a control group was given traditional paper drawings. Following an instructional lecture, students were given a test based on the provided construction drawings. The test results indicate that there was no significant difference in performance between students who used the information technology tool to complete the test and those who used traditional paper drawings to complete the same test. The treatment group also answered a usability survey, which helped to comprehend how students perceive the tablet’s usability. Students indicated that they would like to use the tool in the future.


2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 2759-2762
Author(s):  
Guang Bin Wang ◽  
Xiao Fei Zheng ◽  
Jin Bao He

In modern times, information technology developes very quickly. Architecture engineering construction industry has gradually been revolutionized from traditional ways to technology-based methods. As the engineering construction project is very complex ,advanced tools are required to assist finishing a project. Building information modeling is disseminated to construction industry ,as an instrument to help collaboration and co-working. The practical effectiveness of BIM is mainly in architecture design, while BIM can be used as a tool in other parts of construction industry such as virtual construction ,time-dependent control and maintainance management and even the lifecycle management.This paper mainly presents five main parts and functions designed of information system based on BIM, and analyses the strengths of the system .It aims to demonstrate how engineering project overcome traditional barriers and physical distribution with the development of information technology across the whole construction lifecycle.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.N. Jadid ◽  
M.M. Idress

Mobile computing technology has an enormous potential in civil engineering, mainly in the field of construction management. This paper presents an approach by using mobile computing in a civil engineering construction project, exploring how information can be exchanged at a construction site, and how billing of quantities (BOQ), drawings and specifications are shared for the benefit of the project. One of the major obstacles in using information technology (IT) when applied to civil engineering is due to the dynamic changes in the construction activities and the diversity of construction methods as compared to other industries. This has proved to be a great disadvantage when trying to give construction sites adequate IT support. Computers require infrastructure, which can be transferred easily to the head office, but rarely to the construction site itself in a systematic way. Therefore, the impact of IT on the way the construction industry actually works has not been significantly utilized. This paper consists of two main parts. The first part defines the concept of mobile computing, describes some recent research, and stresses the potential for the construction industry. The second part is focuses on an approach, implementing mobile computing in a real construction site. 


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