Identifying Digital Transformation Barriers in Small and Medium-Sized Construction Enterprises: A Multi-criteria Perspective

The digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises within the construction sector is significantly limited as a result of their distinct characteristics. Despite the potential for significant and enlightening research, there has been an inadequate concentration on identifying the factors that impede the rapid progress of digitalization in small and medium-sized construction enterprises (SMCEs). The objective of this study is to examine the barriers hindering the digital transformation of SMCEs and provide a framework for assessing and prioritizing these barriers. Therefore, this research endeavors to design a barrier indicator system specifically tailored to the digital transformation of SMCEs. Based on this, a novel decision support model has been proposed within the context of basic uncertain linguistic information (BULI) by integrating the three-way decision (TWD) model and the consensus reaching process framework. The suggested model adopts the concept of BULI to effectively represent and manage uncertain information. It further offers the BULI-based TWD model, which is designed to categorize the relevance of barriers. In addition, the model suggests the BULI-based minimal adjustment consensus model, which aims to enhance the degree of consensus. The model’s usefulness is confirmed by its application in evaluating barriers to digital transformation in an SMCE located in Wuhan, China. Furthermore, the sensitivity and comparative analyses are conducted to illustrate the benefits of the proposed model in comparison to existing approaches. The proposed model expands upon the existing theory and practical implementation of the TWD method. It also offers a valuable approach for devising a barrier response strategy that can be applied to the digital transformation of SMCEs.