Realizing the Need for Digital Transformation of Stakeholder Management: A Systematic Review in the Construction Industry

Abstract

The construction industry is among the least digitized industries, and the lack of innovation in construction project management practices has led to decreases in productivity. The European Directives for Public Procurement are pushing the entire construction supply chain towards more radical digital transformations over the next years, and project managers are left with the difficult task to harness ICT for the involvement and management of project stakeholders. Digitalization of various processes and practices used to manage stakeholders in construction projects is still low, and part of this problem lies in weak systematization of ICT systems which support these practices. Thus, this paper provides a systematic review of how digitalization and digital transformation affect the way stakeholders behave, engage, and communicate in projects. Following the PRISMA methodology, 73 sources from the literature were chosen for the final analysis. Results are presented through descriptive and qualitative content analysis. Six research topics were identified and thoroughly analyzed. Results show that BIM, social network analysis, and web-based applications as means to digitalize stakeholder management are more mature than social media and VR/AR. An important finding is the need to reengineer and digitally transform processes in construction projects and construction firms to enable further digitalization and effectiveness of digital technologies. Suggestions for further studies follow this line of thought.

Study on the Influencing Factors of Digital Transformation of Construction Enterprises from the Perspective of Dual Effects—A Hybrid Approach Based on PLS-SEM and fsQCA

“…Organizations must implement organizational structure and cultural mindset reforms to adapt to digitalization and overcome obstacles in the process of digital transformation [18]. For example, if a construction contractor wants to carry out BIM collaborative work in a project, it must first improve the organization's digital collaboration planning capabilities and have rich experience and capabilities in BIM 3D modeling [16]. Secondly, in the one path of low-level digital transformation antecedent configuration in construction enterprises, environmental factors and top management support are at the core of missing conditions.…”

“…Despite the active promotion of digital transformation in the construction industry, the overall level of digitization in the construction industry is still at the bottom compared to other industries due to the complexity, fragmentation, and extensive production methods of the construction process [1,16]. In addition, construction enterprises also face the dilemma of a slowdown in industry growth, declining profits, increasing competition, insufficient attractiveness to new employees, exacerbation of aging of the workforce, and a lack of digital professionals [1].…”

Evolutionary Game Analysis for Key Participants’ Behavior in Digital Transformation of the Chinese Construction Industry

“…In particular, BIM technology has been fully popularized and applied in the industry, but the most important and difficult challenge in practical cases considers the rigid institutional environment of the organization [28] and makes the further digitalization and effectiveness of digital technology possible. It is necessary to digitally transform construction projects and construction companies [29]. The third aspect is the technical methods, organizational changes, and research on the digital transformation of the construction industry, for example, the analysis of participants and policy tools of transformation, the construction 4.0 scheme drawing on Industry 4.0, the management change method of digital construction, the change means of business process digitalization, and the investigation of and research on the digital transformation of the construction industry in countries such as Nigeria [30] and Russia [31].…”

Intelligent Construction Technology Adoption Driving Strategy in China: A Tripartite Evolutionary Game Analysis

“…In a conceptual framework for an IoT-based intelligent construction system for prefabricated buildings (ICSPB-IoT), stakeholders are considered to include government supervision departments, owners, and contractors [ 7 ]. Through a literature review, Prebanić and Vukomanović [ 19 ] argue that the main stakeholders in the use of ICT for digital management cover governments, contractors, and owners. In mega sustainable construction projects (MSCP) applying ICT, governments and designers are considered to have a significant influence on other stakeholders and play the role of key stakeholders [ 20 ].…”