Diffusion of construction technology: In a Japanese firm

Despite potential benefits, many new construction technologies are very slowly or never implemented. This research examines the ten-year diffusion of one tunneling process technology in a large Japanese construction company. The research methodology is based on social science diffusion studies; social network analysis was used to "map" technical advice exchange among 209 tunneling specialists. Social network measures describing interactions between people in this group served as independent variables to assess the influence of prominant individuals ("opinion leaders") and compare two network-based diffusion models (cohesion and structural equivalence). In the early diffusion phase, decision-maker contact with "formal" opinion leaders (having authority for new technology) was more strongly associated with utilization than contact with "informal" opinion leaders (central site people). Later, this was reversed when utilization had become normative. Informal opinion leaders first collected information, then served as information sources, facilitated by their social network position. This implies that central people can serve as "organizational memory" to store and disseminate technical information. Blockmodeling was used to partition the group into four structurally equivalent subgroups ("blocks") based on similarity of block members' ties to others. The results revealed that the social structure was split before introduction of the subject technology--members of the two largest blocks tended to exchange advice among themselves. This was reflected in divergent utilization of the subject technology: block one projects were "non-users" and block two projects were "users. " Tests of cohesion operationalized as degree (number of contacts between project decision-makers and prior users) revealed that its influence was strongest in the early diffusion phase. Cohesion as closeness centrality was most influential in the middle phase; later, structural equivalence was the main influence. Group norms developed through cohesion were later reflected in normative decision-making associated with structural equivalence. This highlights the importance of considering social structure and the phase-related nature of the diffusion process in programs for technology transfer. Cohesive relations are especially important in the beginning while group norms are being developed. Technology transfer efforts should work through opinion leaders and promote interaction between users and potential users.