1. List the key ideas IS managers can reapply from Webcor Builders to improve the successful adoption of new technologies within their own organization.
2. What additional strategies can you identify to encourage the adoption of new technology?

Webcor: Building Buy-In in the Brick-and-Mortar Business

Founded in 1971, Webcor Builders is one of the largest construction companies in California and one of the largest green construction companies in the United States. Committed to innovative practices, Webcor has gained considerable attention due to its award-winning work, including interior construction, historic restoration, and seismic renovation. As Webcor expanded from multifamily residences to commercial offices, interiors, retail, public works, parking structures, and federal, education, and healthcare facilities, the company opened offices first in San Francisco, and then in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Alameda. Its merger with the large Japanese construction firm Obayashi positioned the company to reach customers along the Pacific Rim, with a new office in Honolulu. Along with developing innovations in building materials and methods, Webcor has leveraged cutting-edge information technologies'in an industry that is often slow to consider, accept, and adopt IS advances. As early as 1984, Webcor integrated the Apple desktop into its work process. In 2011, Webcor made a significant commitment to virtual design and construction in its public sector building projects. Adopting Vico Software's 5D Virtual Construction application allowed Webcor to estimate costs, schedule projects, and manage projects with increased efficiency. With this software, Webcor can take its customers through a series of what-if scenarios that enable them to make key design decisions. Frank Haase, Director of Virtual Building at Webcor, explains, "We have amassed a knowledge base of real data'from past projects and from our subcontractors' that when combined with the integrated 5D approach gives us an unprecedented planning and management capability on all projects. The precise information derived from this approach, both in preconstruction planning and in ongoing construction operations, helps us to resolve issues early and to make prompt fact-based decisions." Using the software, Webcor can also predict the scheduling and cost impact of changes that occur throughout building design and construction. The big question many observers asked was, "How did Webcor Building manage to persuade its workforce to adopt the new technologies?" The decision to adopt the system involved fairly high risks, given the potential resistance of its end users. Vince Sarrubi, Webcor CIO, explained the complexity of the challenge, "Blue collar industries tend to focus on completing tasks, meeting deadlines, and doing what they know how to do best to minimize time loss. New technologies mean changes to physical work practices, which could mean missing a deadline. These workers live in the physical world and have been manually practicing their art for years. There's a mentality of ‘head down and nose to the grindstone gets the work done' and ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' " So, how did Webcor achieve this success? First, Sarrubi is not alone in leading the call for innovative IS utilization within the company. Webcor cites innovation as one of its strengths, and its top management has been firmly committed to technological innovation. Company CEO Andy Ball spearheaded the virtual construction project. He insists,.