Knowledge, and its appropriate management, has been increasingly recognised as a critical source of sustainable competitive advantage for companies. Within this context, many companies are developing their strategies and capabilities to effectively create, share and exploit knowledge. This issue has been seen to be particularly important in project-based industries, such as the construction industry. However, in spite of the espoused value of knowledge management approaches they often deliver benefits far below expectations. Research and practice has identified a number of problems and barriers which have depleted the actual benefits of knowledge management in projects and companies. A generic finding is that the major problem is the lack of effective integration of key knowledge management components. Knowledge maps have been promoted as a key solution to bring about this required integrated approach. The knowledge mapping approach has taken root in other sectors (particularly education and manufacturing), but is still at an embryonic state in construction. The starting point for this research is to investigate the potential utility of knowledge mapping as an approach to improving corporate and project performance. First, a concept model for appropriate knowledge mapping within construction project organisations was articulated through a relevant literature review. The model is made up of four key variables: interaction environment, construction actors, construction processes and knowledge transfer technologies. The concept model was tested through a single-holistic case study within a large construction and property consulting practice in South Korea. Data collection was through semistructured interviews and company document review. The primary data was analysed using content analysis and cognitive mapping. The research findings broadly confirmed that knowledge mapping is an effective approach in integrating project resources and technologies for successful knowledge management within the case study firm. The key characteristics of the concept model in practice are identified and illustrated. A contingency approach to knowledge mapping is proposed with appropriate approaches dependent upon the scope of the construction processes and the scope of the construction actors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:523962 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Yun, G. C. |
| Publisher | University of Salford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://usir.salford.ac.uk/2036/ |
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