Modelling the key enablers of organizational building information modelling (BIM) implementation: An interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach

Building Information Modelling (BIM) implementation is a dynamic process and there are a number of influential variables that may change throughout. There is little research on the dynamics of the change environment and the AEC organizations’ approaches to BIM adoption and implementation. A considerable number of BIM enablers have been identified and/or developed in the extant literature. However, stipulating BIM implementation enablers per se provides only a static view that is not adequate for describing effective management of BIM implementation in Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) organizations. This study is the second part of an ongoing research about BIM implementation enablers. In the first paper “Building Information Modelling (BIM) adoption and implementation enablers in AEC firms: a systematic literature review” (Abbasnejad et al., 2020) the organizational BIM enablers have been identified. The aim of this second paper is to (1) further review and validate the key BIM implementation enablers using both the existing literature and expert interviews, and (2) develop a structural model of the key enablers using the ISM technique to understand the mutual interaction of these enablers and identify the driving enablers and the dependent enablers. Twenty-eight enablers for BIM implementation were initially identified from the literature and subsequent discussion with experts from academia and industry has been conducted to select most key BIM implementation enablers. Eleven enablers were finally chosen based on the literature review and expert interviews and the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) technique has been adopted to evaluate the contextual interrelationships among them. MICMAC (Matrix Impacts Cross-reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification) analysis was employed to classify the eleven enablers based on their dependence and driving power. The results indicate that there is no enabler in the autonomous cluster and this therefore signifies that all enablers are required for the implementation of BIM. BIM leadership and top management support have been identified as the enablers with the highest driving power in the initial stages of the BIM adoption and implementation process and for that reason, these enablers demand a greater priority given that there are other dependent enablers that will be impacted.