Search results

Considering the gradual move into the information age, digital technologies have become the new trend in different industries ranging from agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and banking, among others. The construction industry has also evolved progressively since the last decade to explore and adopt digital transformation considering the immense contribution it has towards productivity. More so, the need to combat global warming has compelled experts to begin to seek new technologies in achieving the green effect. This has led experts and researchers in the industry to seek how digital technologies can help to achieve sustainability and further functional construction. There has been a huge gap as to maximising the impact of digital transformation as many organisations in the industry are still struggling to successfully adopt and implement digital construction. This chapter will help to fill this gap and provide clear insight into how digital can help further sustainable construction.

The current era of the fourth industrial revolution has attracted significant research on the use of digital technologies in improving construction project delivery. However, less emphasis has been placed on how these digital tools will influence the management of the construction workforce. To this end, using a review of existing works, this chapter explores the fourth industrial revolution and its associated technologies that can positively impact the management of the construction workforce when implemented. Also, the possible challenges that might truncate the successful deployment of digital technologies for effective workforce management were explored. The chapter submitted that implementing workforce management-specific digital platforms and other digital technologies designed for project delivery can aid effective workforce management within construction organisations. Technologies such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, big data analytics, robotics and automation, and artificial intelligence, among others, offer significant benefits to the effective workforce management of construction organisations. However, several challenges, such as resistance to change due to fear of job loss, cost of investment in digital tools, organisational structure and culture, must be carefully considered as they might affect the successful use of digital tools and by extension, impact the success of workforce management in the organisations.

In the effort to procure solutions to emerging challenges faced in the construction industry, construction stakeholders implemented the use of several technologies in construction operations from the onset of project planning to completion. Cyber technology introduced into construction brought about the inclusion of wearable technology, mobile devices, apps, project management software, drones, 3D printers, robotics, etc. to enhance output as the industry tends towards that which is sustainable. This chapter identified benefits, barriers and other related cyber technology interactions within the scope of delivering projects that are of standard, budget and quality at the same time. The conclusion gave a summary of the whole chapter for further comprehension.

This chapter focused on presenting the result of the Delphi study from the questionnaire distributed to the experts. The Delphi technique was used for modelling the construction supply chain management (CSCM) practice in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. The technique was also used to predict the supply chain management's (SCM) possible trends in the construction industry. A total of 15 experts were selected for this study based on their working experience. The Delphi study also validated the gaps (organisational culture and 4IR component) identified from the existing CSCM model. The findings from the Delphi study revealed that organisational culture has a significant impact on the practice of CSCM in the 4IR era. Regarding adopting the 4IR component for the CSCM in Nigeria, the Delphi study revealed that smart management and virtualisation are the most adopted. Unfortunately, the cyber-physical system, the heartbeat of the 4IR, is yet to be fully implemented for CSCM practice in the Nigerian construction industry.

Digital transformation is essential for the development of the construction sector with the opportunities it offers to change and optimise the construction business. Digitalisation affects every stage and process, the whole value chain. As for some other industries, as well as in the construction sector, it provides several advantages and benefits which include increased productivity; increased speed of construction and saving time in the implementation of construction projects, significantly higher quality of accompanying construction documentation, etc. At the same time, there are some challenges related to the lag of digital transformation in construction when compared to other sectors. Some of these challenges are in the presence of some specific technical challenges, different degrees of application of new information technology in smaller construction companies, and so on which are often in the role of subcontractors and other parties involved in construction implementation. Despite the challenges, digital transformation has no alternative given the future upward development of the construction sector as the industry drives towards sustainability.

This book aimed to conceptualise a construction workforce management model suitable for effectively managing workers in construction organisations. To this end, this chapter presents the conceptualised model, which consists of seven workforce management practices with their respective measurement variables. Drawing from existing theories, models, and practices, the chapter concludes that a construction organisation that will attain its strategic objectives in the current fourth industrial revolution era must be willing to promote effective recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, performance management and appraisal, employee involvement and empowerment, training and development, as well as improving workers emotional intelligence and handling external environment pressure. These practices can promote proactiveness, participation, and improved skills and can lead to effective commitment, better quality, and flexibility within the organisation.