What is the “Potential” of new ICT and how are Perceptions Shaped by Experience of Use and Practice? - The Case of Building Information Modelling

The emergence of new open ended ICT (Information and communication Technology). is often accompanied by optimistic predictions about the technologies inherent capabilities, or “potential”, to solve a wide array organizational related problems. In the building and construction industry, BIM – Building Information Modelling – is such an example. However, unrealistic expectations about a technology is also a determinant for failed implementations, but at the same time ICT-induced transformation of organizations and industries is a well-known phenomenon. This research in progress paper has two interlinked explorative aims. First, how can the “potential” of a technology be captured? Second, how does experience of practice and experience of technology use shape the perceived potential of a technology. The data is collected via a survey to practitioners, with and without BIM-experiences, in medium sized contractor companies, and last year’s bachelor students in civil engineering. The total number of respondents was 205. In order to achieve the first aim, it is needed to inquire how users and prospective users’ perception of a technology’s “potential” can be captured? It can be claimed that constructs used when adoption of open ended ICT is studied, implicitly or explicitly, emphasize a status quo, then a transformation of organizational processes and structures. The results show that one alternative for measuring perceived “potential” is to measure respondents’ perceptions about how useful different applications are in practice. However, this scale needs to be developed in order to become more applicable different industries. Based on the measurement of perceived “potential” the results indicate that experience of practice had a negative impact on the perceived “potential”, whereas experience of technology had a positive impact compared to respondents with experience of practice but no experience of technology. It is concluded that further research is needed on which factors these shape the perceived potential when experienced technology user also gain an increased experience of practice.