Investigating On Building Information Modeling Adoption Behavior And Diffusion Mechanism

With the initiation and implementation of the informatization strategy,the developing pattern of construction industry in China’s mainland is gradually driven by information technologies.As a critical innovative paradigm of building information digitalization,BIM(building information model)integrates cash flows,information flows,logistics flows throughout the project lifecycle and reduces unforeseen changes and re-doings effectively as well as visualizes construction management.Thus,the implementation and diffusion of BIM are bound to exerting profound influence on the informatization course of construction industry.However,industrial practices indicate that the implementation and diffusion of BIM was undesirable because the great demand of budget input but vagueness of benefits in BIM adoption made AEC(architectural,engineering and construction)firms form limited economic motivations and subjective intentions to carry out their BIM adoption behavior and implementation decision.Further,large-scale deficiencies of BIM adoption behavior blocked the spread and circulation of critical elements such as experience,lessons,knowledge,and information which are closely related to BIM adoption,consequently impeding the subsequent diffusion of BIM adoption behavior in AEC market.To address problems above and better understand BIM implementation and diffusion,this paper studies BIM adoption and diffusion from following two perspectives.First,this paper studies the formation rationale of individual AEC firm’s BIM adoption behavior.Based on game theory,this paper firstly proposes a decision model of BIM adoption in government subsidy context to analyze the decision course of individual AEC firm’s BIM adoption behavior,and then investigates the formation rationale of individual AEC firm’s BIM adoption behavior in government subsidy context.Results show that: BIM adoption efficiency and adoption incentives are two critical factors in individual AEC firm’s BIM adoption decision.On the one hand,government subsidy improves AEC firms’ adoption efficiency by offsetting adoption cost,which turns AEC firm that was originally inefficient in BIM adoption into efficient one,consequently promoting the formation of BIM adoption.On the other hand,government subsidy also brings forward individual AEC firm’s joining time of BIM adoption,which turns individual AEC firm which is originally late in BIM adoption into earlier one,consequently speeding up the formation of BIM adoption behavior.Therefore,government subsidy plays an instructive and driving role in BIM adoption.But for individual AEC firms with different BIM adoption efficiency and incentives,the government should implement differential strategies in BIM subsidizing.Second,this paper studies the diffusion mechanism of BIM adoption behavior in networks of group AEC firms.Based on the SIRS epidemic model,this paper dissects the spreading and diffusion course of BIM adoption behavior,and proposes a diffusion model of BIM adoption behavior in network context by introducing and utilizing Watts-Strogatz small-world network algorithm to generate a small-world network of group AEC firms.Then,using the computer simulation method,this paper simulates the diffusion process of BIM adoption behavior to reveal the law of BIM adoption behavior and to investigate the diffusion mechanism of BIM adoption behavior in networks of group AEC firms.Results show that: there exists a diffusion threshold of BIM adoption behavior in networks of group AEC firms,and this threshold is closely connected to one of the network structural characteristics: average degree of network.Specifically,if the threshold is less than the reciprocal of average degree,the amount of BIM adoption supporters will finally anchor at zero when the diffusion become stable,which indicates BIM adoption behavior won’t diffuse.While in the circumstance where the threshold is more than the reciprocal of average degree,the diffusion of BIM adoption behavior will occur.In the network of AEC group firms,the amount of BIM adoption supporter at first keeps increasing until it reaches the peak,then it gradually declines to a constant and this constant is closely connected to the average degree.Meanwhile,results of this paper also indicate that measures such as expanding the information communication channels between the BIM adoption supporters and potential users or provide certain supporting policies can break the “zero” deadlock of BIM adoption diffusion when the threshold is less than the reciprocal of average degree.Further,these measures can also enhance the amount of BIM adoption supporters when the diffusion of BIM adoption behavior gets stable again.Additionally,during the early stage of BIM diffusion,networks of group AEC firms which have a higher average degree will embrace a faster growth and a greater peak of BIM adoption.Through studies above,this paper deepens the understanding of individual AEC firm’s BIM adoption behavior formation rationale and revels the diffusion mechanism of BIM adoption behavior in networks of group AEC firms,which provides theoretical foundation for further studies on BIM adoption behavior.In the end,suggestions on the decision of BIM adoption for AEC firms and on policy-making in promoting BIM adoption diffusion are put forward according to study findings.