Moodley, K; Preece, C and Kyprianou, R (2001) An examination of knowledge management implementation within civil engineering consulting organizations. In: Akintoye, A (ed.) Proceedings of 17th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2001, Salford, UK.
Abstract
UK construction industry trends are towards collaboration, knowledge exchange and new networks, to increase competitiveness and profitability. Knowledge management is starting to be recognized as a necessary activity to increase the competitiveness of companies within construction. The application of knowledge management within construction organizations offers the opportunity to tap into the knowledge gained from projects in a coherent fashion. It offers the opportunity of sharing, storing and developing knowledge that is often lost as projects conclude. Civil engineering consultants are facing the challenge of how to access this knowledge from projects in a structured fashion. This paper will examine how knowledge management is being developed and implemented within civil engineering consultancies. Its focus will be on how companies are developing, understanding and implementing their knowledge strategies. The central themes that emerge from this paper are that information technology and organization cultures are the key influences on knowledge development.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | knowledge management; learning communities; information technology; sharing infrastructure; civil engineering |
| Index terms: | construction organization, strategy, collaboration, knowledge exchange, engineering consultant, competitiveness, profitability, construction industry, implementation, consultancy, knowledge management, information technology |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, knowledge management, economic analysis, organization, computing systems, market analysis, professional, industry analysis, management, professional development |
| Topics: | Procurement, Roles and Professions, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here