Exploring Leaders’ Perceptions of the Business Case for Digitalisation in the Construction Industry

For decision-makers in construction organisations, it is imperative that persuasive business cases are formulated on matters of digital transformation. In fact, a link has been established between the low adoption of digitalisation in construction organisations and poor business case formation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the cues that may facilitate the development of such a business case responsible for wider adoption. (1) Methodology: We utilised a purposive sampling method to gather qualitative data from 19 leaders of UK construction organisations. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews involves a thematic analysis through an inductive approach. (2) Findings: Overall, this exploration led to the emergence of nine themes, informing research on aspects that may contribute to substantiating a compelling business case behind the broader use of digitalisation in construction firms. The findings suggest that embracing such arguments would enable digital advocates to craft compelling arguments that may persuade decision-makers towards digitalisation. (3) Originality: This is the first paper in the construction domain to explore how building a robust business case that can justify adoption, offering digital advocates a set of cues that can be used to develop a successful relational capability to advance with their digital agendas. Thus, this study is a unique contribution to the literature, offering evidence that is otherwise understudied in the construction context.