Digitalization of construction organisations – a case for digital partnering
Douglas Aghimien, Clinton Aigbavboa, Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke, Wellington Didibhuku Thwala, Palesa Moripe
Abstract
The digitalization of construction organizations is deemed essential with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution. To achieve this, there is a need for construction organizations to partner with other organizations with complementary digital capabilities. This study, therefore, makes a case for digital partnering in the South African construction industry through a survey of construction professionals actively involved in a construction project in the country. Analysis of data gathered was done using a 5-step analysis approach and relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted. Findings revealed that digital partnering is not being adopted among construction organizations in the country. However, if adopted correctly, construction organizations can have a better competitive advantage, improved project performance, and risk reduction through shared digital resources. Furthermore, the barriers to the proper adoption of digital partnering are the poor definition of partnering goal, getting the right digital partner, trust issue, partnering risk issue and investment cost. The study contributes to the body of knowledge as is reveals that construction organizations, particularly in a developing country like South Africa, stands a better chance of surviving the dynamic construction and digital environment by partnering with other organizations within and outside the industry rather than embarking on the digitalization journey alone.