Coupled Paths of Influencing Factors on The Diffusion of Prefabricated Construction Technology: A Multi-agent Synergy Perspective

Prefabricated construction (PC) technology diffusion, as a key to promoting PC, has attracted increasing attention from academia and industry in recent years. The diffusion of PC technology mainly stems from the coupling effect of multiple influencing factors, especially the multi-agent synergy. This study is to explore the multi-dimensional influencing factors and their coupling paths for the diffusion of PC technology, from a multi-agent synergy perspective. First, six critical factors identified through literature review are divided into three dimensions. Further, fourteen theoretical hypotheses are proposed for the interactions of these factors and their impacts on the diffusion of PC technology, highlighting the role of multi-agent synergy. Then, an empirical research method based on partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and questionnaire survey data were used to reveal the relationship between the influencing factors and the coupling path of PC technology diffusion. The findings suggest that organization strength (with the highest influence) and technology cooperation have positive effects, while technology investment has a negative effect, on PC technology diffusion. Both market competition and industry development play indirect roles on PC technology diffusion via technology investment, without direct effects. Government intervention positively moderates the path from technology investment and organizational strength to PC technology diffusion, respectively, with the strongest moderating effect between government intervention and organization strength. This study contributes to scientifically planning the diffusion of PC technology.