EFFECTS OF THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION INNOVATIONS ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Advances in Science and Technology have always shaped the way humans live, think and operate; right from the First Industrial Revolution down to the now Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The fourth Industrial Revolution since inception have also had major positive impacts on humans and human operations. Despite the many benefits recorded in other climes and developed countries from the adoption and application of these 4IR Innovations, the problem of low adoption still exists in Nigeria, Western Africa and Africa at large. The long term effect of this problem is that an already lagging region will continue to be left further behind if attention is not paid to details. Hence, this study aimed at examining the level of adoption of 4IR Innovations for construction projects in Nigeria by reflecting on its perceived impacts and benefits. The aim of the study is to assess the benefits of adopting the 4IR Innovations for construction projects with a view to improving project performance through the application of these innovations. A review of existing literature was extensively carried out on 4IR and other keenly related topics. The research followed a Survey Research design where Quantitative approach was adopted and questionnaires distributed to the target population of the study. The population of the study encompassed Architects, Builders, Engineers and Quantity Surveyors working on construction projects within the confines of Lagos State, Nigeria. The Sampling frame was 3653, while the sample size used for the study was calculated to be 348. The sampling technique used was convenience sampling technique. Data was collected through both physical and electronic means for easy coverage. Data Entry and Analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS (v19.0). The Analytical tools adopted included Percentage and Frequency Distribution, Mean Item Score (MIS), Standard Deviation, Kruskal Wallis H test, Factor Analysis and Spearman’s Rank Correlation. The results of the analysis indicated that of the 348 questionnaires sent out to respondents, 257 were returned and deemed analyzable. The findings of the research indicates that although many construction professionals pre-dominant in Lagos state, Nigeria are not fully applying these 4IR Innovations, although they are actually aware of these technologies. Further results show that 4IR innovations are applicable to virtually all areas of construction, the least area of applicability is Fabrication and even it is at a moderate level. The biggest driver for the adoption of 4IR Innovations is Global Market or Economy. The biggest barrier to the adoption of 4IR Innovations for construction projects is High capital or set-up cost. Further findings of the study revealed a positive correlation between 4IR Innovations usage and construction project performance in terms of Time, Cost, Quality and Safety. In conclusion, this study has been able to unearth that the applications of the 4IR Innovations have positive effects on Cost, Time, Quality and Safety. It is recommended that since the willingness to adopt 4IR Innovations by construction professionals is very high, structures should be put in place to make the professionals more and more aware of these 4IR Innovations and their applications. This will in turn have a positive effect on the adoption of the innovations for improved performance of the construction projects.