Driving Digital Transformation in Construction: Unveiling Key Drivers and Effective Pathways

Construction enterprises face mounting pressures from an aging workforce, rising labor costs, and significant waste generation, yet digital transformation (DT) presents an effective avenue for addressing these challenges and achieving rapid, sustainable growth. While the technical feasibility of digital transformation has been established over the past decade, the configurational logic, i.e., how organizational structures, strategic design, and technical infrastructure collectively interact, remains a critical knowledge gap. To address this gap, this study identifies key antecedents of DT and employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to reveal distinct configurations of these antecedents that lead to successful outcomes. This research yields two primary contributions: first, it identifies three effective configurational strategies for successful DT; and second, it pinpoints the critical drivers essential for navigating this complex process. Across all paths, technology and strategy and top-level design consistently appear together as core prerequisites: the talents factor is peripheral absence in Path 1; while organization and digital infrastructure and platform are only peripheral presence in certain paths. Finally, it provides construction enterprises with actionable strategies and a practical framework to leverage these drivers, thereby facilitating DT and enhancing organizational performance.