Institutional shaping of CDE implementation in BIM-enabled AEC projects

The common data environment (CDE) for information sharing is one of the fundamental requirements for effective workflow management to harness the potential of building information modeling (BIM). While studies are replete on BIM from a technology adoption perspective, notably lacking in the literature is the understanding of the influence of institutions and their pressures on CDE adoption as an information management platform. This study aims to address this gap. Using the action research approach, a flagship university construction project in India was studied to understand the interplay of institutions and CDE adoption. Institutional theory was used as a theoretical lens to illuminate and analyze the implementation issues of CDE. The findings show that CDE implementation undergoes a series of transformations due to institutional pressures. The responses to institutional pressures are conformance, coupling and decoupling, and mutations. Insights of this study guide practitioners to be aware of the processes through which institutional pressures contextualize and transform the intended change. Accordingly, findings can help managers and public sector agents on aspects related to nudging and shaping the implementation of change through action strategies and tactics. The study extends the BIM adoption/localization literature by highlighting that institutional pressures modify the objectives of CDE. It theorizes the processes through which institutional pressures contextualize and transform a change agenda.