Engineering, Project, and Production Management

EPPM 2010 Conference Papers

Conceptual Framework of Psychology Decision Making on Industrialized Building Systems (IBS) Technology

Sharifah Akmam Syed Zakaria¹,Graham Brewer²and Thayaparan Gajendran³

¹PhD Student, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia, Tel. +61-04-5115 5065, Email. sharifahakmam.syedzakaria@uon.edu.au
²Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia, Tel. +61-02-4921 5794 Fax. +61-02- 4921 6913 Email. Graham.Brewer@newcastle.edu.au
³Lecturer, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia, Tel. +61-02- 4921 5781 Fax. +61-02-4921 6913 Email. Thayaparan.Gajendran@newcastle.edu.au

Abstract:There is an increasing use of industrialised building Systems (IBS) to replace conventional construction methods, with the intention of speeding up construction times. However the use of IBS technology is often resisted, apparently on grounds other than simply technological. Thus the decision to use IBS is dependent upon satisfactorily addressing a range of issues that include the technological, psychological and sociological. This paper reviews literature on decision making methods or process, in order to model psychological variables influencing the adoption of IBS in the built environment. A theoretical framework/matrix on the psychological aspects of decision-making process in relation to IBS technology adoption in built environment is proposed. The proposed framework illustrates the importance of the descriptive (how people actually behave when making decisions) and the prescriptive (how decisions should be made) aspects of psychology decision making based on well-considered factors in the IBS technology adoption.

Keywords: decision making, industrialized building, psychology, technology adoption.