Davey, L M J and London, K (2005) An ethnographic study of knowledge management practices within an Australian market leader: An organizational culture perspective. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 21st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2005, London, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry is an integral component of the Australian economy. Efficient management within the industry is critical to its overall performance. In recent years much attention has been paid to the concept of knowledge management and its application to the industry. Action research has been applied within an ethnographic study of an industry market leader. Market leaders play a significant role in the adoption of new concepts and technologies and it is through their actions that new knowledge is created. Central to ethnography is its reliance on 'participant observation', as a primary mode of data collection allowing a unique perspective on values, beliefs and culture. Organizational culture influences the transferral of information and knowledge and is a key component within knowledge management frameworks. The ability to create and maintain knowledge is essential in the maintenance of a sustainable competitive advantage. Evaluating practices within a market leader provides insights into the contribution of knowledge management in maintaining this sustainability.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | action research; ethnography; knowledge management; organisational culture |
| Index terms: | knowledge management, organizational culture, construction industry, ethnography, action research, competitive advantage, observation |
| Subjects: | professional development, qualitative and interpretive research, industry analysis, sociology, market analysis, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Information Management, Research Practice, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 CTE |
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