Investigating influencing factors for the promotion of Chinese intelligent water conservancy

Purpose Intelligent water conservancy in China falls into the dilemma of having great potential but a low adoption degree. The study aims at developing a hierarchical framework to investigate the influencing factors for its development. Design/methodology/approach This study has determined a list of 14 Critical Success Factors (CSFs) through literature reviews and expert surveys. Then a model combining the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method and Total Adversarial Interpretive Structural Modeling (TAISM) method is implemented to explore the relationships among CSFs. Findings The proposed model demonstrates a five-level hierarchical structure encompassing the influence relationship among CSFs and indicates that (1) government support plays a vital role in promotion; (2) intelligence technology, administration and equipment are rooted reasons. Especially improving the coverage of smart devices is an inevitable trend in the future and (3) factors of the loop of strategic objectives require digital organization transformations. Research limitations/implications In this research paper, the scope of this investigation is restricted to water conservancy projects within China. As the diversity of experts interviewed increases and technology advances, the model can also be generalized to more general situations. Besides, the proposed model avoids the subjectivity and one-sidedness of the results. Originality/value Few studies have explored emerging technologies acceptance from the perspective of water conservancy in China. This study addressed the theoretical and methodological research gaps in the existing literature. It has strengthened the government’s understanding of intelligent water conservancy and provided a development direction for reference.