Organizational Infrastructure and Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Alignment in Construction Organizations

Abstract

Various studies have shown that the strategic alignment of information and communication technology (ICT) implementation in construction organizations has a positive impact on performance that can be achieved from the organization’s project to organizational levels. Although many researchers have studied the effect of this strategic alignment on the different industries’ performance, including the construction field, the detailed effects of ICT infrastructure alignment with organizational alignment on construction organizations’ outcomes has not been investigated. The main objective of this research was to investigate whether construction organizations’ performance may be affected by the strength of the alignment between the ICT and organizational infrastructure domains. To achieve that, a self-administered quantitative expert survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to a targeted group of construction industry professionals. The survey results were then organized and analyzed using the principal component factor analysis method for variable selection, and then multiple regression analysis was used for the final results and conclusion. The research verified the analyzed data from the survey questionnaire using the qualitative research method through semistructured interviews from the New Zealand construction industry. Based on the research results, the functional integration of strategic alignment in construction organizations could optimize organizations’ performance and outcomes. The effects of this functional integration on organization performance are discussed, and recommendations for optimal integration and alignment are provided. This research enables organizations to understand the functions of ICT applications and infrastructure in enhancing organization outcomes and performance. Moreover, because the issues of strategic ICT alignment have been investigated in this study for the construction industry, this adds to the body of knowledge on new technology applications and uses in construction. In this study, the authors investigated the benefit and positive effect of information and communication technology (ICT) implementation, considering the organization’s infrastructure and project performance and outcomes. This investigation was achieved using a self-administered quantitative expert survey questionnaire that was developed and distributed to a targeted group of construction industry professionals. The survey results were then organized and analyzed using the principal component factor analysis method for variable selection, and then multiple regression analysis was used for the final results and conclusion. Thus, the survey questionnaire’s analyzed data were verified using the qualitative research method through semistructured interviews from the New Zealand construction industry. The authors found that strong congruence between the organization’s ICT and organizational infrastructure is essential in facilitating the organization’s project delivery and enhancing its outcomes. Finally, the results from this research enable the identification of less effective ICT infrastructure and can cater to more objective and project-based outcomes. Moreover, a decision support system or tool can be developed based on this research model that provides recommendations and guidance to construction organizations in terms of effective ICT implementations.