An investigation of ICT diffusion issues in an Australian construction contractor company using SSM

The leading Australian construction organizations have ventured into the adoption of ICT (information and communication technologies) to cope with their heavy communication needs. However, the organization-wide use and the diffusion of these technologies have not been as successful as might be expected. It is becoming important to investigate the issues that are acting as barriers to the successful diffusion process. This research uses soft systems methodology (SSM) to investigate the underlying diffusion issues. SSM has been used in the domain of information systems (IS) and management for over 30 years to explore complex situations. It can give structure to messy problems and aids in understanding the nature of the problem that is helpful in devising a solution to rectify these situations. This paper describes an investigation of the ICT diffusion issues in a major Australian construction contractor where the widespread use of recently adopted ICT is problematic.