Modeling the Organizational Attributes and Strategies for Developing Accurate Digital Twins

Abstract

Purpose
This study aims to establish relationships between organizational attributes and strategies for developing accurate digital twins (DTs) of constructed facilities. To achieve this aim, the study objectives are: (1) identify the key organizational attributes and strategies, (2) develop underlying constructs among the organizational attributes and strategies, and (3) model the relationships between the underlying constructs of organizational attributes and strategies.

Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) industry professionals identified twenty-one organizational attributes and thirty organizational strategies. Through a survey, 129 AECO industry professionals evaluated the criticality of the organizational attributes and strategies. The collected data were analyzed using normalized mean analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and partial least-squares structural equation modeling.

Findings
The analyses identified eleven and twenty key organizational attributes and strategies. Furthermore, the organizational attributes and strategies can be categorized into two (organizational DT capabilities and technological capabilities requirements) and three (organizational competitiveness and investments, organizational workforce management and training, and organizational management capabilities) underlying constructs. Finally, organizational DT capabilities significantly impact the need for all three underlying constructs of organizational strategies, whereas technological capabilities requirements do not. These findings indicate that strategic initiatives should be driven by organizational and human-centric attributes, including leadership, strategic planning, and talent development, rather than on technological readiness alone, challenging assumptions that technological readiness is the catalyst for strategy deployment in DT development.

Originality/value
This is the first study that models the relationships between organizational attributes and strategies for developing accurate DTs of constructed facilities.