Impacts of building information modeling (BIM) implementation on design and construction performance: a resource dependence theory perspective

doi:10.15302/J-FEM-2017010

Front. Eng

2017, Vol. 4

Issue (1) : 20-34 https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FEM-2017010

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Impacts of building information modeling (BIM) implementation on design and construction performance: a resource dependence theory perspective

Dongping CAO¹(

), Heng LI², Guangbin WANG³

¹. School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
². Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
³. Department of Management Science and Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China

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Abstract

Drawing on resource dependence theory, this paper develops and empirically tests a model for understanding how the implementation of building information modeling (BIM) in construction projects impacts the performance of different project participating organizations through improving their interorganizational collaboration capabilities. Based on two sets of survey data collected from designers and general contractors in BIM-based construction projects in China, the results from partial least squares analysis and bootstrapping mediation test provide clear evidence that BIM-enabled capabilities of information sharing and collaborative decision-making as a whole play a significant role in determining BIM-enabled efficiency and effectiveness benefits for both designers and general contractors. The results further reveal that designers and general contractors benefit from project BIM implementation activities significantly non-equivalently, and that this non-equivalence closely relates to the different roles played by designers and general contractors in BIM-enabled interorganizational resource exchange processes. The findings validate the resource dependence theory perspective of BIM as a boundary spanning tool to manage interorganizational resource dependence in construction projects, and contribute to deepened understandings of how and why project participating organizations benefit differently from the implementation of interorganizational information technologies like BIM.

Keywords building information modeling interorganizational collaboration construction project performance resource dependence theory partial least squares modeling

Corresponding Author(s): Dongping CAO

Online First Date: 31 March 2017 Issue Date: 19 April 2017

Cite this article:

Dongping CAO,Heng LI,Guangbin WANG. Impacts of building information modeling (BIM) implementation on design and construction performance: a resource dependence theory perspective[J]. Front. Eng, 2017, 4(1): 20-34.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/10.15302/J-FEM-2017010
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/Y2017/V4/I1/20

Fig.1 Research model

Construct	Code	Items	Factor loadings
Construct	Code	Items	Designer	Contractor
BIM-enabled information sharing capability (ISC)	ISC1	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to share information with other related participants in a timely manner	0.916	0.890
	ISC2	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to share information with other related participants in a complete manner	0.933	0.926
	ISC3	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to share information with other related participants in an accurate manner	0.943	0.920
	ISC4	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to share information with other related participants in a consistent manner	0.844	0.857
BIM-enabled collaborative decision-making capability (CDC)	CDC1	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to regularly collaborate with other related participants to jointly formulate design/construction plans	0.857	0.897
	CDC2	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to regularly collaborate with other related participants to jointly compare and select design/construction solutions	0.906	0.916
	CDC3	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to regularly collaborate with other related participants to jointly adjust and optimize design/construction solutions	0.870	0.933
	CDC4	Based on BIM models, our team has been enabled to regularly collaborate with other related participants to jointly solve emergent design/construction problems	0.911	0.875
BIM-enabled task efficiency improvement (TEY)	TEY1	BIM implementation has enabled a faster execution of our team's design/construction activities	0.898	0.927
	TEY2	BIM implementation has increased our team's productivity in related design and construction processes	0.941	0.946
	TEY3	BIM implementation has saved time for our team to conduct related design/construction activities	0.945	0.887
BIM-enabled task effectiveness improvement (TES)	TES1	BIM implementation has reduced errors and rework in our team's design/construction activities	0.850	0.813
	TES2	BIM implementation has helped our team to explore better design/construction solutions with higher quality and less cost	0.884	0.897
	TES3	BIM implementation has enabled our team's design/construction outcomes to more satisfactorily fulfill the client/owner's needs	0.901	0.867

Tab.1 Measurement items

Tab.2 Demographic information

Tab.3 Measurement validity and construct correlations: Designer sample

Tab.4 Measurement validity and construct correlations: General contractor sample

Fig.2 Results of PLS analyses for the research model

Tab.5 Mediation effects of BIM-enabled interorganizational collaboration capabilities

Tab.6 Comparisons of construct values for designer and general contractor samples

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