The influence of contextual elements, actors’ frames of reference, and technology on the adoption and use of ICT in construction projects: a Swedish case study

Abstract

In contemporary research on construction‐related ICT (information communication technologies), little distinction is made between the use of ICT in permanent line organizations and its use in temporary organizations (for example, in building and construction projects). This paper makes that distinction. The aim is to understand how the interplay among contextual elements, actors’ frames of reference, and the ICT itself, influences the adoption and use of ICT in a building and construction project. This will be done through a description and analysis of a case study of ICT use in a major Swedish construction company. It is concluded that the well‐defined duration of the temporary organization (the construction project) stands in sharp contrast to the generally indefinite duration of ICT‐mediated change processes. However, by analysing the ICT application to be implemented, it can be revealed whether it can be ‘ready packed’ for, or delimited to, certain processes in order to achieve immediate benefits. When implementing more encompassing ICT applications, the challenge for the company is to find alternative ways of implementation in the project‐based organization and of creating alternative spaces for innovation and renewal where new ICT can be tested and experimented with.