Papers by Kwadwo Oti-Sarpong
Frontiers in Built Environment, Jan 8, 2024
Automated real-time data collection is becoming more prevalent in construction, with workers' loc... more Automated real-time data collection is becoming more prevalent in construction, with workers' location data being a pivotal component in detecting poor logistics and inefficient construction flows. However, the collection of location data for productivity monitoring raises significant concerns about privacy and wellbeing implications for workers. Implementing such technological solutions requires an understanding of how humans may respond to sensor-based automated data collection, making this a socio-technical issue. This study identifies the drivers of construction workers' acceptance of radio-based location tracking technology for productivity measurement using a modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and offers a sociotechnical understanding of technology acceptance with implications for managing how new technologies are introduced on construction projects. Using a large residential project in Lima, Peru as a case study, construction workers were monitored using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, and data were gathered using mixed methods. A k-means clustering analysis showed two forms of acceptance among workers: supporters (37%) and acceptance with reservations (63%). Partial least squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived stress underpinned workers' attitudes and intention to accept the technology. Perceived privacy risk, however, emerged as the sole most significant predictor at the end of the monitoring process. Findings further suggest that workers' acceptance of the technology is influenced by the perception that it is also beneficial for safety management. Building on the preceding, the paper highlights the need for employee orientation focused on addressing perceived privacy concerns by leveraging positive perceptions about using monitoring technologies for improving onsite safety, logistics and productivity. This requires management of construction firms to develop narratives that reflect their goals for rolling out technologies in ways that
Construction Management and Economics, Sep 27, 2023
Developments in the built environment, Apr 1, 2024
ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Oct 14, 2022
This paper presents a novel conceptualisation for how city-scale digital twins (CDTs) can be bett... more This paper presents a novel conceptualisation for how city-scale digital twins (CDTs) can be better understood through the social construction of technology (SCOT) lens. This is achieved by drawing inspiration from sociotechnical studies of CDTs, and specifically the SCOT approach. Following a discussion of the shortcomings of technocentrism and techno-optimism bias in the CDT literature, a sociotechnical understanding of their delivery (i.e., conceptualisation, design, development, and implementation) is put forward. Delivering CDTs entails interactions between multiple stakeholders across sectoral boundaries and involve a confluence of business, social and technological dimensions which will engender several multifaceted and evolving complexities. Using the SCOT approach, the paper highlights how a CDT is not a static technical artefact, but rather a transient outcome from a technological network which co-evolves with the actors involved and the goals set in a place. Implications for understanding how an iterative approach for CDT development emerges in a place as part of city smartification agenda, the role of contextual factors in the social shaping of CDTs, actor participation and (ex/in)clusion are identified and discussed as potential future research directions to expand existing knowledge. * Corresponding author for addressing city challenges. Delivery here, and throughout the paper, refers to the multi-actor processes of conceptualisation, design, development, and implementation (cf. Nochta et al., 2018, 2021). Second, an underdeveloped understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of delivering CDTs to address urban problems and improve people's quality of life. Finally, leaving unaddressed the context-specific nature of CDT projects, alongside the multi-faceted interactions involving technical artefacts (e.g., digital city models) and the different stakeholders who are engaged in the delivery of CDTs within specific sociopolitical contexts for meeting varied and conflicted objectives. An emerging body of studies emphasize the need to view CDT projects through lenses that take into consideration both social and technical components (e.g., Nochta et al., 2021; Mora and Deakin, 2019). Sociotechnical studies of CDTs have indicated how CDT projects are influenced by different stakeholders coming from policy, research, and political angles with their own interests (Nochta et al., 2021). Indeed, according to Solman et al. (2022), the delivery of CDTs entails interactions between multiple stakeholders across sectoral boundaries and involve a confluence of business, social and technological dimensions which will engender several multifaceted and evolving complexities. Nochta et al. (2021) also highlight the influence of 15 different groups of actors representing private sector consultants, citizen groups, local public sector authorities, and national public sector bodies from their case study of the Cambridge CDT project. This multi-actor involvement is attendant with divergence in interests and call for negotiations to rally around a central goal.
IET Smart Cities
Leading digital innovation projects in smart cities requires the right human resources with the r... more Leading digital innovation projects in smart cities requires the right human resources with the right set of competencies. Such requirement is challenging because city managers and built environment professionals are traditionally trained and work in disciplinary and professional silos. This results in a lack of knowledge, abilities, and tools to produce optimal outcomes for communities across multiple sectors. Guided by a socio‐technical and multidisciplinary approach, the DC2‐CF framework is proposed to help urban planners identify, develop and expand the competencies they need to effectively steer responsible digital innovation and ensure public value creation. The DC2‐CF proposes a digital innovation process model to facilitate the delivery of successful urban digital innovation projects based on the lessons learned from working with city digital leaders. In addition, the DC2‐CF provides a delivery structure which identifies specific tasks, competencies, and roles necessary to e...
Digital Twins for Smart Cities, 2023
Human Ecology
In England, provision of temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness has often e... more In England, provision of temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness has often entailed using traditional construction approaches to deliver housing. However, recent experiments are using modular homes to provide temporary accommodation, accompanied by support services for people experiencing homelessness. Given the early nature of these trials, it is unclear what impacts these modular homes have on their occupants and how these projects in turn impact surrounding residents and businesses. We present a case study of the first modular homes for people experiencing homelessness in Cambridge, England, drawing on longitudinal interviews with the six residents occupying these homes. We found that the physical features of the homes, coupled with wrap-around support services, yielded positive short- and mid-term outcomes for occupants, including improved management of their substance use and money, skills development and readiness for employment, social relations, and a bu...
Journal of Urban Management
Building Research & Information
This report summarises the key contributions from the research project ‘ Analysing the social con... more This report summarises the key contributions from the research project ‘ Analysing the social context to transforming construction through digital innovation and offsite construction ’ . This research is part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s (CDBB) work at the University of Cambridge within the Construction Innovation Hub (CIH). The study contributes to achieving CIH impacts related to information management, as well as to the development of skills and capabilities and to fostering the effective collaboration needed for the effective adoption and use of digital technologies and modern methods of construction.
Lecture Notes in Operations Research, 2022
International Journal of Construction Education and Research
Offsite manufacturing (OSM) is currently one of the innovative approaches for construction that i... more Offsite manufacturing (OSM) is currently one of the innovative approaches for construction that is at the forefront of industry transformation initiatives. Despite its espoused benefits, OSM is yet to become mainstream. Adoption of OSM in the UK is currently limited to discrete attempts at organisational and project levels. In this paper, the multi-level sociotechnical transitions (MLS) theoretical framework is used to review and synthesize relevant literature to conceptualise how an industry-wide uptake of OSM rests on the creation of a dominant platform around which other innovations will coalesce, in order to 'break through' and trigger changes in the existing configurations defining the way the construction industry works. To create step changes in the industry through widespread use of OSM, the paper highlights the government's role as a 'strong' actor in developing the UK's platform approach into a stable innovation to propel a reconfiguration of the ex...
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2022
PurposeWidespread efforts to promote the use of building information modelling (BIM) as part of t... more PurposeWidespread efforts to promote the use of building information modelling (BIM) as part of the construction industry transformation agenda in many advanced countries are yet to reach the wished-for effects. While there are various studies on the factors influencing BIM adoption, empirical evidence detailing how construction companies can successfully adopt BIM in their organisations remains scarce. This paper identifies and describes how enabling factors are implemented by large UK contractor firms to transform their organisations using BIM for projects.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative exploratory approach is employed in this paper. Data are gathered through 42 semi-structured interviews with professionals in strategic and management roles in construction companies in the UK, followed by case studies of five leading main contractor companies selected to provide examples of how they implemented the identified enablers.FindingsThis research identifies and describes six ke...
Construction Research Congress 2020, 2020
Governments around the world are increasingly pushing for wide-scale adoption of building informa... more Governments around the world are increasingly pushing for wide-scale adoption of building information modelling (BIM) in their construction industries. Central to this drive are mandates requiring BIM compliance from firms engaged on public projects. This paper critically examines, through in-depth content analysis, the implications of and responses to government policies, and initiatives guiding mandatory BIM use for all public projects in the Hong Kong construction industry. The findings reveal steps taken by public client organizations and professional associations in response to the mandate. Whilst some stakeholders have evolved into 'champions' embarking on capabilities development initiatives and trialing BIM use on pilot projects, others are yet to make any attempt towards BIM adoption. The current policy holds the potential to push 'mainstream' BIM use for government-owned projects. However, aspects of its implementation could lead to the establishment of a tiered industry around the use of BIM. Some related provisions, if exploited, could counteract current government initiatives, potentially exacerbate some industry problems the mandate is meant to help solve, or even create new ones. Findings from this paper contribute to understanding a range of responses to, and implications generated by, BIM mandates. The insights could inform approaches adopted by governments as they seek industry-wide BIM adoption and use
Technology transfer (TT) has been of interest at global and national levels since the 1960s. It h... more Technology transfer (TT) has been of interest at global and national levels since the 1960s. It has gained growing attention in research since the introduction of the international code for technology transfer by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1985. The process has been studied from several angles, including economic transaction costs, international trade and strategic management. Much of research on TT in construction has largely assumed a mechanistic view on the nature of technology, as well as the process of transfer; widely conceptualized as physical artefacts, and a linear transferor-transferee relationship respectively. Such views effectively disregard the micro-processes and interactions that take place as part of the transfer process at the firm level. This study presents a different perspective on TT as a series of socio-technical interactions, and technology as a product of social construction. The theoretical framework of the social con...
Construction Management and Economics, 2021
Abstract Debates regarding research methodologies in construction, engineering and management (CE... more Abstract Debates regarding research methodologies in construction, engineering and management (CEM) literature are long-standing. However, in the growing literature on offsite manufacturing (OSM), such debates are lacking and some studies conflate different components of research methodologies such as research design, methods, data sources, data types, and analytical techniques. This study examines the components of research methodologies reported in the OSM literature and how they compare with the established relationships between the key components of research methodologies. We analyse 74 articles on OSM sampled from 26 journals and find that quantitative methods, case studies, primary data, bibliometric database and modelling are the most preferred methodological approaches. The methodological components reported also cohere with established relationships between components of research methodology, other than the relationship between research methods and data sources. The findings reveal a growing hybridisation of research designs, data sources and analytical techniques, which suggests that methodological plurality is emerging in the OSM literature. This re-echoes concerns regarding the dominance of quantitative methods and the limited use of theory in CEM research, and consequently highlights the need for diversity in methodologies to expand knowledge boundaries.
WABER 2019 Conference Proceedings, 2019
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows are commonly used in developing countries (DCs) to 'measu... more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows are commonly used in developing countries (DCs) to 'measure' technology transfer, and consequently as an indicator for the technological advancement of economic sectors. An implied assertion being that increased FDI in a sector means an increase in foreign technology and knowledge (T&K) in that sector and in effect, technological advancement in the recipient country. An effect of this assumption is an increase in attempts by DCs to attract more FDI through incentive-laden policy reforms. While these efforts have contributed to increase in FDI, particularly in the construction sectors of DCs in Africa; there is, however, scant evidence suggesting that the rising inflows resulted in technological advancements. Thus, construction industries in many DCs continue to lag behind those of advanced countries. This paper takes as a point of departure the relationship between FDI and technological advancement. It argues that reliance on FDI to estimate 'how much' technology has been transferred and as an indicator of attendant advancement has limitations. From a critical perspective, such an assessment is inaccurate and neglects specific nuances of T&K transfer and technological advancement in the construction sector. Examining the Ghanaian construction sector as a case with coeval data, the paper unpacks the blind-spots inherent in the assessment of technological advancements that are heavily reliant on the use of FDI inflows. Insights from the paper contribute to the literature and policy regarding interrelations involving FDIs, the transfer of T&K and technological advancement in the construction sector in DCs.
Construction Innovation, 2021
Purpose Government initiatives to improve construction have increasingly become more focused on i... more Purpose Government initiatives to improve construction have increasingly become more focused on introducing a repertoire of technologies to transform the sector. In the literature on construction industry transformation through policy-backed initiatives, how firms will respond to the demands to adopt and use innovative technologies and approaches is taken for granted, and there is scarcely any attention given to the institutional implications of transformation agenda. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these gaps and offer directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach Following a synthesis of literature on the UK’s industry transformation agenda, the authors use the concepts of institutional logics, arrangements, complexity and strategic responses to suggest seven research questions that are at the nexus of policy-backed transformation and institutional theory. Findings In this paper, the authors argue that increasing demands for the adoption and use of digital te...
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Papers by Kwadwo Oti-Sarpong