Abstract/Summary

The construction industry, supported by government regulations, is witnessing a rising interest in digital innovation. Thus, there is an urgent and practical need for construction firms to understand how to respond and cope with digital innovation in order to meet industry targets and to make their business more efficient. The prevailing literature provides useful insights into the processes for the diffusion of innovations in construction as a complex social system, yet it is predominantly focused on the assumptions that innovation is bounded and the firm is stable. It also emphasises either projects or the firm with little attention to the interface between the firm and its projects, and the effect of this interface in the diffusion processes. This research investigated the diffusion of digital innovation in a project-based firm. The empirical study was based on an in-depth investigation of the diffusion of digital innovation in Halcrow, a UK engineering firm, over a 4-year period. The qualitative data collection and analysis was underpinned by theoretical constructs from classic diffusion of innovations theory. The findings capture the diffusion of the digital innovation where both the innovation and the firm were in flux, and articulate the processes and challenges of the diffusion of technology on projects, as well as the diffusion of ideas which are linked to the vision and strategy of the firm. These findings contribute to the diffusion of innovations research and literature in construction. They also offer a case for diffusion in practice, to guide construction project-based firms in embedding digital innovation.