Technology Strategy and Competitive Performance in Bridge Construction
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 123, Issue 2
Abstract
Pragmatic construction professionals, accustomed to intense price competition and focused on the bottom line, have difficulty justifying investments in advanced technology. Researchers and industry professionals need improved tools to analyze how technology affects the performance of the firm. This paper reports the results of research to begin answering the question, “does technology matter?” The researchers developed a set of five dimensions for technology strategy, collected information regarding these dimensions along with four measures of competitive performance in five bridge construction firms, and analyzed the information to identify relationships between technology strategy and competitive performance. Three technology strategy dimensions—competitive positioning, depth of technology strategy, and organizational fit—showed particularly strong correlations with the competitive performance indicators of absolute growth in contract awards and contract award value per technical employee. These findings indicate that technology does matter. The research also provides ways to analyze options for approaching technology and ways to relate technology to competitive performance for use by managers. It also provides a valuable set of research measures for technology strategy.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 123 • Issue 2 • June 1997
Pages: 153 - 161
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Jun 1, 1997
Published in print: Jun 1997
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