ORGANISATIONAL READINESS FOR BIM, LEAN AND SUSTAINABILITY ADOPTION: A CONCEPTUAL SELF-ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR CONSTRUCTION SMES IN CHILE.

Abstract

The construction industry in Chile is currently experiencing a process of change and accomplishment of efficiency, productivity and sustainability goals that require the effort of the companies that encompass the construction sector in the country. These companies are comprised mainly of SMEs that are the ones that move the industry forward not only in Chile but also in most of the construction industries around the globe. For this reason, the government is promoting new initiatives to accomplish those goals and move the industry forward, including the use and application of BIM, lean and the focus on sustainability. The government has recognised these initiatives as a way to move the industry to the desired targets. In addition, the literature suggests that BIM, lean and sustainability (BLS) are synergistic because they have similar goals and should work better in combination rather than treated in isolation. The literature also suggests that most of the work in these areas focuses on specific aspects and larger organisations with little consideration and focus on SMEs. Moreover, the literature explores BLS integration with authors focusing on these aspects. However, the focus on the organisational part, which is essential to drive their use, is missing. In addition, there are no current frameworks to promote their use and application. This thesis examines the integration of BLS at the organisational level to promote their use and produce improved results at the project levels as suggested by the literature, establishing that the organisational maturity in BLS aspects is essential to meet the targets of the construction industry in Chile. For that reason, three case studies were selected and analysed by conducting semi-structured interviews with members of the organisation to determine the factors that promote maturity, so SMEs in Chile can establish their maturity and focus their efforts on specific areas that need addressing. After this process, the factors were found by cross analysing the data from the case studies to later validate it during a focus group session with eight experts. The results show that 69 factors divided into five categories are the ones that are essential to assess maturity and compare the organisation's current status to the desired level of maturity. This way, more organisations can use this framework to reach the construction industry goals in the future and aim for improvements to deliver more efficient, productive, and sustainable projects.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Rodger Edwards (Supervisor)