Analyzing the critical factors of digital readiness for construction enterprises

Purpose The construction industry is implementing digital transformation. Adequate digital readiness can increase the success rate of a company's digital transformation. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the factors influencing digital readiness and their interaction mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach Based on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, this study identified factors influencing the digital readiness of construction enterprises through literature review. Then, taking digital dynamic capability as a mediating variable, hypotheses regarding the relationships among the factors were proposed. Moreover, a questionnaire survey was designed and distributed to professionals from the construction industry. Then, the partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to examine the critical factors and their relationships with digital readiness. Findings The findings claimed that the digital leadership and organizational change play a positive role in improving the digital readiness. Additionally, digital dynamic capabilities mediate the positive effects of technological resources, organizational change and environmental dynamism on digital readiness. Originality/value This study could offer effective recommendations for construction enterprises to optimize resource allocation and address the challenges of the digital transformation's cold start. Additionally, it provides theoretical insights and practical references for understanding the digital readiness of construction enterprises.