The role of industry: an analytical framework to understand ICT transformation within the AEC industry

Despite wide-ranging research on information and communication technologies (ICT) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, little is known about the role that industry plays in the adoption and use of ICT. Based on observations of how the drivers for ICT use seem to be inconsistent with the industry’s central characteristics, and drawing on information systems (IS) research that demonstrates the role of shared systems of meaning, the purpose here is to develop an analytical framework that explains how industry shapes the adoption and use of ICT. Building on a theoretically driven approach and a case study, a framework is first sketched and then substantiated through empirical illustrations. Three dimensions of industry are highlighted: the socio-cognitive environment, the market and production environment and institutional actors. It is explained how the interplay of these dimensions shapes the way the industry functions, which in turn influence the adoption and use of ICT. The outcomes of the interplay can either be aligned or misaligned with ICT, which explains why certain aligned applications are rapidly adopted, whereas other applications are not. The primary implication is that the framework can aid in analysing the need for structural adaptation when trying to achieve ICT-induced change.