The use of interorganisational ict in construction projects: a critical perspective

In construction projects, many participants from different organisations have to work together. In these projects – to facilitate cooperation and coordination – interorganisational communication is of vital importance. The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can offer many benefits in improving interorganisational communication, cooperation, and coordination in the context of construction projects. Numerous companies have now started to adopt and use interorganisational ICT. However, ICT often has limited added value and fails to meet expectations. Over the last decades, much research has been conducted on the use of interorganisational ICT in construction projects and on the adoption and use of ICT. However, this research has some major limitations. First, studies which focus on the use of ICT in construction projects do not provide a detailed in-depth understanding of the mechanisms which influence the way actors use ICT in its social and interorganisational context. In addition, they do not analyse the dynamics of the use of ICT over time to explain how and why certain outcomes are realised. Second, existing models that could help to predict ICT adoption and use are criticised for their limited explanatory powers and for their contradictory results across studies. The methodological perspectives that are used in these studies – quantitative, positivist – cause most of these limitations.