How digital innovation affects the cooperative behavior?

Purpose Digital innovation has become an important driving force for organizational development. It is an important factor to improve the cooperative behavior of project performance, but the related research ignores the influence of digital innovation of construction projects on the cooperative behavior of all participants. Therefore, this study discusses the comprehensive influence of digital innovation on cooperative behavior in construction projects and provides references for formulating reasonable digital innovation strategies. Design/methodology/approach This study constructs a theoretical model according to the logical thread of “digital innovation → capital → cooperative behavior,” and discusses how construction project participants can improve their cooperative performance through digital innovation. And bring the institutional environment into the research framework as a regulating variable. Subsequently, this study uses the survey data of 276 construction employees from China to verify and analyze the theoretical model by structural equation model (SEM) and explains the action path and boundary conditions of “digital innovation-cooperation behavior.” Findings (1) Digital innovation has a negative impact on the cooperative behavior of all participants in the construction project; (2) As a complete intermediary variable, human capital helps to amplify the positive impact of digital innovation on cooperative behavior and (3) The institutional environment plays a positive regulatory role between digital innovation and human capital. The discussion of the results can guide the construction project organization and management personnel to formulate reasonable digital innovation strategies. Originality/value This study investigates the influence mechanism and boundary conditions of digital innovation on the cooperative behavior among the participants in construction projects through empirical research. These research results enrich the related literature of digital innovation in theory, expand the research scope of project cooperation and fill the gap in studying how digital innovation affects cooperation behavior from the perspective of construction projects. And by discussing the role of digital innovation, scholars can deepen their understanding of the antecedents of human capital. In addition, by examining the regulatory role of the institutional environment, the boundary conditions of digital innovation are discussed.