Extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for adoption of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the US Construction Industry

James Sorce,Raja R A Issa

doi:10.36680/j.itcon.2021.013

Abstract

The global economic impact of the construction industry cannot be overstated. The use of information and communications technology (ICT) offers a potential for massive cost savings and increases in productivity. Unfortunately, the US construction industry lags behind most other US industries in the implementation of ICT. This research sets out to understand what factors improve the use and adoption of ICT in the US construction industry by applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989). The TAM recognized a relationship with actual use of technology based on the premise of behavioral intent (BI) and intended use and that user perceived usefulness (PU) leads to intended use, which translates to actual use. The TAM also recognizes that user perceived ease of use (PEOU) supports the premise of PU enhancing intended use by increasing the PU. This research used independent variables from previous research to serve as a basis for establishing a benchmark for US construction firms. Seventy-six US construction professionals were surveyed for this study. The results showed that the US construction industry follows the TAM model in that if the technology is perceived to be useful it will be adopted, and this seems to be supported by PEOU. Application of this extended TAM in the US construction industry will help companies predict the successful adoption and use of ICT, allowing managers to make more informed decisions in the adoption process.

Highlights

Since 1945, productivity in manufacturing, retail and agriculture in the US has grown by as much as 1,500 percent, but productivity in construction has barely increased at all (MGI 2017)
The research questions answered by the application of this extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model are: whether the extended TAM variables correlate with each other and the original TAM model (Q1); whether the extended TAM can better explain the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the US construction industry than the original TAM model (Q2); and whether other attributes exist (H3օ-H8օ) that are of interest to US construction firms in selecting new ICT (Q3)
Predictors of actual use in the US construction industry can be attributed to perceived usefulness (PU), which seem to be supported by perceived ease of use (PEOU) and industry influence, and how innovative and supportive the culture of a construction company is regarding the use and/or adoption of new ICT

Summary

Introduction

Since 1945, productivity in manufacturing, retail and agriculture in the US has grown by as much as 1,500 percent, but productivity in construction has barely increased at all (MGI 2017). Technological innovation and adoption strategies have been under development and study since the late 20th century Five of these pervading strategies and theories related to technology acceptance and adoption success modeling which provide context to this study are reviewed : Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); ICT Adoption in the US Construction Industry, United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT); ICT Integration and increases in Productivity; and a Culture of Innovation. Basic understanding of these theories provides context to the goals of influential factor identification and review in this study which lays the groundwork for the development of practical strategies to improve ICT integration success. The information extracted from this background is used to develop a comparison matrix showing the parameters measured by TAM, Modified TAM and this study on the US construction industry, which is used to develop the survey questionnaire administered in this study

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion