Grasping Brutal and Incremental BIM Innovation through Institutional Logics

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) as an innovation contributes to construction digitalisation. BIM affects various actors of the built environment, e.g. government structures, enterprises, and industry groups. Notably, BIM is not newly-found, yet it radically alters the way construction firms operate. BIM evolved from an industrysponsored effort to share consistent information among low tiers of the supply chain, towards collaboration across all tiers. As public bodies start to mandate BIM, firms have to radically – or brutally – innovate their businesses. This paper explores BIM innovation via the lens of institutional logics in contexts with low and high BIM diffusion. It compares the United Kingdom – where BIM was mandated in 2016 – and some Nordic countries and the Netherlands – where it is not yet mandated. The study draws upon grey and scientific literature to explain how innovation unfolds macroscopically and concludes that contextual sensitivities are lacking in BIM debate.