Organisational Factors of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in the South African Construction Industry

Abstract

The innovation of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), has rapidly changed the world. It is currently at a nascent stage worldwide in the construction industry throughout the lifecycle of projects. However, construction organisations of developing countries such as South Africa are still lagging in recognising the need to adopt emerging digital innovations such as AI to improve the built sector’s performance. This study aims to identify organisational factors imperative to driving the adoption of AI in construction organisations. The study uses a quantitative survey approach to collect data through snowball sampling of industry experts on factors associated with AI adoption. With data from 169 respondents, exploratory factor analysis was adopted to identify critical organisational factors to ease AI adoption in the industry. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis was employed to demonstrate the relationship among the constructs. The study proposes 17 factors to drive organisational AI, categorised into four components; innovative organisational culture, competence-based development, collaborative decision-making, and strategic analysis. However, previous studies have identified organisational factors of AI in the construction and allied industries. This study presented the organisational factors of AI in the construction industry using EFA and CFA, a method not used in articles presented in the SLR identified. The use of CFA improves the measurement of the constructs. It thus enhances understanding of the underlying components of a construct and its relationship with AI in the construction industry.

Prospects, drivers of and barriers to artificial intelligence adoption in project management

“…This should be done early in the process, with planning being carried out at a strategic level that ensures that the implementation process, markers and goals align with the companies' objectives and plans. Tjebane et al. (2022) noted integrating AI adoption into a strategy plan, and cultivating AI expertise and awareness should be strong top management support indications.…”

“…This should be done early in the process, with planning being carried out at a strategic level that ensures that the implementation process, markers and goals align with the companies' objectives and plans. Tjebane et al (2022) noted integrating AI adoption into a strategy plan, and cultivating AI expertise and awareness should be strong top management support indications. Far from going against established objectives and plans, which may jeopardise the commitment and completion of implementation, in the long run, the strategic plan should ensure that new deployments complement existing work processes, software and support to ensure an optimal outcome.…”

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Organizational Justice and Project Performance: A Systematic Literature and Science Mapping Review

“…AI has the potential to reduce operational costs, increase efficiency, and improve customer experience. To effectively introduce AI decision making within an organization, an appropriate approach needs to be taken during the formation of project teams [57][58][59][60].…”

A Review of the Digital Skills Needed in the Construction Industry: Towards a Taxonomy of Skills

“…Furthermore, developing construction industries such as South Africa were also assessed regarding AI's capability and uses. Though it was still lagging, it is highly recommended that construction organisations strategically design policies for skills and competencies development [96]. However, construction students are rarely introduced to such advanced developed curricula [23,73]; hence, the literature emphasises the need for digital skills related to programming languages for future employment [22,135,136].…”