Understanding the Effect of BIM Capability Imbalance on Opportunistic Behavior: The Case of the Chinese Construction Market
Publication: Journal of Management in Engineering
Volume 38, Issue 3
Abstract
Although building information modeling (BIM) is believed to have the potential to curb opportunistic behavior, opportunism is observed in some BIM-enabled projects surprisingly often. One possible reason is that, in current practice, the BIM capabilities of project participants are often imbalanced. This study proposes a theoretical framework to understand the impact of BIM capability imbalance on opportunistic behavior and to identify the boundary conditions. Two influential factors, BIM application scope and trust, are considered as moderators. Based on data collected from 296 responses to an electronic questionnaire survey sent to construction companies in China, the effect of BIM capability imbalance on opportunistic behavior was examined from the perspective of the Chinese construction market, and the moderating roles of BIM application scope and trust were explored. The survey results revealed that (1) BIM capability imbalance is positively related to opportunistic behavior (both strong-form and weak-form); (2) BIM application scope can enhance the positive effect of BIM capability imbalance on opportunistic behavior (both strong-form and weak-form); and (3) trust weakens the positive effect of BIM capability imbalance on opportunistic behavior (both strong-form and weak-form). This research contributes to the existing literature on the application of BIM by investigating the effects of BIM capability imbalance on opportunistic behavior and its boundary conditions, which helps to provide a better understanding of the opportunistic risk brought by BIM. This study also enriches the existing literature of information technology application and governance, as it provides empirical evidence in a construction project context for the moderating role of technology application scope and trust. Moreover, this research offers managerial suggestions for parties involved in BIM-enabled construction projects to better govern such projects by choosing partners with balanced BIM capability, determining an appropriate scope for BIM application, and implementing trust mechanisms.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This study received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under Grants Nos. 72031008 and 71901161. The authors thank the NSFC for its financial support and are grateful to all the respondents and interviewees who participated in the survey.
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Journal of Management in Engineering
Volume 38 • Issue 3 • May 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Aug 19, 2021
Accepted: Dec 2, 2021
Published online: Jan 31, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jun 30, 2022
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