Integrating technology-organization-environment (TOE) and technology acceptance model (TAM) frameworks for disruptive technology adoption in the construction industry (ConTech-AF)

The construction industry plays a significant role in Malaysia’s economic development. Adopting disruptive technology is crucial for enhancing efficiency, productivity, and overall industry competitiveness. In the context of this study, disruptive technology refers to emerging construction technologies that transform or improve existing systems and processes by enhancing project efficiency, decision-making, and resource management in response to the evolving needs of the construction industry. Despite advancements and government initiatives, the adoption rate remains relatively low (10 – 13%), particularly in Sarawak. Understanding the factors influencing adoption is essential to improve the industry’s performance. This study aims to determine the influence of technological, organizational, environmental, and government factors on the adoption of disruptive technology in the construction industry. This study also examines the mediating role of perceived usefulness in the relationship between technological, organizational, environmental, and government factors and the adoption of disruptive technology in the construction industry, focusing on companies in Bintulu, a rapidly developing region. This study proposes the Construction Technology Adoption Framework (ConTech-AF), a conceptual framework developed by integrating variables from the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) frameworks to provide a comprehensive understanding of disruptive technology adoption in the construction industry. The variables from the TOE framework capture external factors, including technological, organizational, and environmental dimensions, while the TAM variables capture perceived usefulness (PU) as a mediating variable. By incorporating the government as an additional factor in the framework, this research acknowledges the varying roles of government policies and support in influencing technology adoption. A quantitative research approach has been adopted. The data were collected from 141 respondents representing 91 construction companies and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The findings reveal that organizational, technological, and environmental factors significantly influence disruptive technology adoption, whereas government-related factors have no significant effect. Additionally, perceived usefulness (PU) serves as a mediator in the framework, mediating the relationships between government, organizational, and technological factors and actual use, but not the relationship between environmental factors and actual use.