Barriers Influencing Construction Firms' Adoption of Emerging Technologies in Supply Chain Management

Abstract

The construction industry plays a critical role in the economic development of nations and efficient supply chain management is crucial to its success. However, the construction sector remains one of the least digitized sectors despite the benefits of emerging technologies This study investigates the barriers influencing the adoption of emerging technologies in construction supply chain management. The study adopted a quantitative approach using a closed ended questionnaire. Data was collected via simple random sampling from 73 construction firms, though 52 were properly filled and returned for the analysis. The data was analysed using mean score item to ascertain the degree to which barriers influence the adoption of emerging technologies by construction firms. The barriers were grouped into three categories, technological, organisational and environmental barriers. The study revealed that the major technological barrier is lack of technical expertise within the organization, organisational barriers is resistance to change from employees and for to environmental regulatory compliance issues. Therefore, it becomes imperative to invest in training and developing partnerships with educational institutions for continuous learning and government to review and update local content requirements to balance domestic growth with technological advancement.