Holistic methodology to understand the complexity of collaboration in the construction process

The modern construction industry is going through changes in the way that it operates, driven by digitalisation. Although digital tools have been developed for over two decades, the adoption has not been as successful as expected. The paper presents a methodology to visualize and understand the complexity of the construction process. A holistic view is presented using the interactions between various thematic structures generated from qualitative data collected from three separate studies. The data was derived from three different approaches and countries in order to increase and understand the generalizability of findings. The analysis in this context departed from understanding how themes found in the three studies interact with data exchange to understand what affects it. Findings confirm the high complexity and capture interactions between various themes and data exchange, bringing a deeper understanding of those interactions; further exemplifying the potential of holistic approaches to understand complexity.