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Despite the continuous development and application of new digital technologies in the construction industry, there has been little research on digital technology trajectories in the construction industry. The study addresses the issue faced by the construction industry in exploring digital technology trajectories: how to comprehensively identify and analyse digital technology pathways across multiple technology fields in the construction industry.

Firstly, the digital technology patent identification and classification method based on text mining is used to identify digital technology patents and construct a digital technology innovation network. Second, the main path of the digital technology innovation network is identified with the help of SPNP. Then, the subpaths of the digital technology innovation network are identified with the help of the Louvain algorithm and SPNP. Finally, starting from the technology nodes where the main path and subpaths intersect, the technological similarity of the paths is analysed to explore the evolutionary characteristics of the technology trajectories. In light of this, the developed method is applied to the global construction industry patent dataset to analyse the trajectories of digital technologies.

The technological innovation path in the construction industry starts with construction materials and gradually expands to intelligence, automation and digital data processing technology. Equipment and devices with electronic digital data processing capabilities as well as improvements in green building technologies and user experience-enhancing technologies, may be the future of the construction industry. With the increasing demand for green buildings and intelligent buildings, the direction of digital technology innovation in the construction industry is gradually tilted towards these areas. In addition, influenced by geographic and economic factors, there is a spatial clustering effect of digital technology innovation in the construction industry.

Future research should analyse in depth the performance of different countries and regions in digital technology innovation and explore the root causes, motivations and influencing factors behind it, such as the policy environment, the level of the economy and the investment in research and development. Exploring the reasons affecting digital technology innovation can help formulate more targeted policies and promote cooperation and exchange of digital technology innovation in the global construction industry. Meanwhile, to solve the problems of overly broad IPC categorization and the difficulty of accurately describing cross-field innovations, combining IPC co-occurrence networks with patent citation networks is an effective strategy. This strategy can track technologically interrelated patents and provide more specific contents to know the advantages and challenges of the construction industry in the field of digital technology innovation.

The study has practical implications for the construction industry. The identification of digital technology innovation trajectories provides valuable insights for industry firms and research institutes. It helps them understand the current and future directions of digital technology in construction, enabling them to stay at the forefront of technological advancements. The findings highlight the importance of focusing on areas such as solar energy utilisation, green energy, intelligence, automation and data applications. This knowledge can guide firms in developing new building materials, incorporating digital information technologies and enhancing user experiences. The study’s results can inform strategic decision-making, technology adoption and innovation management in the construction sector.

The social implications of this study are significant for various stakeholders. The identification of digital technology innovation trajectories in the construction industry highlights the potential benefits for society. The focus on green energy, intelligent buildings and enhanced user experiences aligns with the increasing demand for sustainability, energy efficiency and comfortable living environments. These technological advancements can contribute to reducing environmental impact, improving quality of life and promoting sustainable development. The findings can inform policymakers, urban planners and architects in shaping regulations, designing sustainable cities and creating buildings that prioritize energy efficiency and user well-being. Ultimately, the study’s social implications aim to foster a more sustainable and livable built environment.

An identification method integrated with SPNP and the Louvain algorithm is developed to map digital technology innovation trajectories in the construction industry. This study helps to reveal the trajectories of digital technology innovation, provides new perspectives, insight and ideas for research in related fields and has great potential for applications in practice to promote the innovation and development of the construction industry.

As one of the pillar sectors, China’s construction industry (CE) is not efficient in productivity with large regional gaps over the past decades. It is crucial for stakeholders to have insightful information on regional input of resources and output of productive efficiency for making policies and investment decisions. The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficiency measurement for the CE and explore the regional differences of construction productive efficiency across the three regions of China.

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an objective benchmarking methodology used for measuring the performance of construction productivity. Distance friction minimization (DFM) approach, based on DEA model, is applied to identify the causes of inefficiency, sources of growth and the optimal paths to efficient frontier for regional CE. Further studies are conducted to provide insightful information for efficiency improvement, according to DFM modeling results and empirical analysis.

The results indicate that eastern region leads construction development due to strong performance of coastal provinces. Faced with decreasing supply of skilled workers in developed region, investing more on construction plants and equipment for labor savings is more efficient to the long-term productivity growth of CE in the east. For developing midland region, heavy reliance on cheap manpower should be gradually relieved by allocating more budgets to vocational training and education program to boost quality labor supply, as well as making steady investment on construction equipment and advanced technology. In underdeveloped western region, raising construction labor wages is recommended to attract more workers to meet the market demand and achieve an optimal production efficiency in the CE.

The findings provide insights into the causes of inefficiency, the sources of growth and the best strategies for efficiency improvement in regional CE, recommendations are made for policy making and strategic planning to enhance the overall performance of China’s construction productive efficiency.

This article examines the influence of Daoist nothingness on leadership in growing Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Daoism is based on a “letting-go” approach through maintaining inherent openness, which challenges goal-oriented and hierarchical approaches typical of Western and Confucian leadership theories. This facilitates the cross-fertilization of ideas related to the effective management of smaller firms.

This study focuses on SME leaders in a group of 12 growing SMEs in the Shanghai logistics industry in China. Narrative and semi-structured interviews explored emerging aspects beyond the established model of leadership associated with reputation-building. This led to in-depth, thick descriptions, broadening our understanding of leadership and reputation-building.

SME leaders follow nothingness by continuously adopting a letting-go approach which spontaneously fosters reputation-building. By maintaining inherent openness, nothingness functions as an enabling principle that mobilizes multi-beings leading to reputation-building in unintended ways.

A greater plurality of empirical and methodological contexts in Western and non-Western countries helps to understand the dynamics and intersection of Daoist nothingness, leadership and reputation-building.

SME leaders recounted how they discursively practised nothingness for extended periods in their everyday practice. The study shows the significance of nothingness for SME leaders who aspire to grow their businesses by reputation-building among salient stakeholders.

Daoist nothingness provides insights into the distinctive approach of Chinese SME leaders and their relationships with local and distant stakeholders. By engaging in active non-action they relax pre-determined intentions and immerse themselves in the process of leading, where the connections between goals and processes are automatically animated. Such an approach differs from the top-down and goal-oriented approach to leadership adopted in many Western SMEs.

This paper makes two theoretical contributions. First, it indicates the powerful influence of Daoist nothingness on leadership by drawing on the broader context of entrepreneurship in Chinese SMEs. Secondly, it enriches existing concepts such as reputation by endowment and reputation borrowing by demonstrating how Daoist nothingness silently fosters both local reputation and generalized reputation.

The purpose of this study is to address a significant gap in the understanding of entrepreneurship at the microfoundation level. It focuses on how individual entrepreneurs, specifically Hongbang entrepreneurs in China from 1896 to 1949, shape and transform their contexts. The aim is to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that facilitate entrepreneurial success.

The study adopts a microhistorical approach, investigating the case of Hongbang entrepreneurs in China during 1896-1949. It involves an in-depth examination of historical records to explore the strategic interactions between these entrepreneurs and core stakeholders such as consumers, financial intermediaries, government regulators, and human resources. The research methodology emphasizes a process-oriented view, examining the evolution of personalized networks into extensive connections.

The research reveals that Hongbang entrepreneurs successfully reshaped their unfavorable embedded contexts by strategically collaborating with key stakeholders. They influenced consumer tastes, allied with financial intermediaries, negotiated with governments on regulation policies, and developed human resource stocks. The transformation was facilitated by the evolution of their networks from personalized to extensive connections. These findings highlight the localized strategies such as cronyism in resource acquisition within China’s private property development industry.

This study contributes to the field by offering insights into entrepreneurial contextualization and networking. It sheds light on the complex interplay between entrepreneurs and their contexts, providing a nuanced understanding of localized strategies in the Chinese context. The findings add value to the discourse on entrepreneurship by elucidating the strategic and processual acts through which entrepreneurs engage with stakeholders and reshape their environments.