Investigation into post-adoption usage of mobile ICTs in Australian construction projects

Abstract

Purpose While mobile Information and Communication Technologies (mobile ICTs) have been adopted by many construction organisations, research on the usage of mobile technologies in the context of construction project management has been scarce. Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of how Construction Management Professionals (CMPs) currently use mobile ICTs at work and the factors affecting their usage of mobile ICTs in the context of the Australian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach In this research, the aim is addressed by a survey-based empirical research approach. A questionnaire was used to collect data about CMPs’ current mobile ICT usage and the factors affecting the usage. Then, relative importance index, factor analysis and χ2 test were used to identify the most significant factors affecting their mobile ICT usage. Findings This research found that user characteristics such as age or years of experience are not the major factors affecting CMPs’ mobile ICT usage. The research also found that there are several barriers hindering an effective usage of mobile ICTs, namely work-family spillover, system quality issues, inconsistency in the way of using mobile ICTs among CMPs and the lack of organisational support. Originality/value The results of this research imply that to fully reap the potential benefits of mobile ICTs in construction projects, those barriers need to be addressed appropriately at the individual, organisational and industry levels. Also, this research informs construction organisations of how mobile ICTs can be deployed and used in the most cost-effective way in their projects.