Yao, Y (2024) The role of digital environments in facilitating engineering knowledge management. PhD thesis, University of Manchester, UK.
Abstract
Digital technologies are gaining widespread acceptance in engineering and offer opportunities for collating and curating knowledge during and beyond the life cycle of an engineering product. Knowledge is central to strategy and operations in most engineering organizations and digital technologies have been employed in attempts to improve current knowledge management practices. Yet many knowledge management practices have not achieved the desired results and eventually been ignored. The reasons behind this involve both social and technical factors.To understand current knowledge management and digital adoptions in the engineering sector, a systematic literature review was conducted to address the question: how do digital technologies influence knowledge management in the engineering sector? To further investigate engineering knowledge management, two case studies were conducted in two contrasting engineering organisations. Mixed method Social Network Analysis (SNA) were used which analysed different levels of knowledge communication networks. It is further proposed that social networks could be used as an indicator of the knowledge communication performance. Thematic analysis of the semi-structured interview data has identified four themes, specifically: types of knowledge in knowledge communication, challenges in knowledge management, current digital applications, and anticipated digital applications.Examination of the collected data provided insights into the performance of engineering knowledge management, the maturity of the knowledge management culture, and how this can be linked to digital environments and their take-up. A novel evolutionary model of knowledge management is proposed, supported by the development of a new knowledge management awareness model, working as diagnostic tools and knowledge management framework for engineering knowledge management. A knowledge eco-system is defined as an ultimate goal of a mature engineering knowledge management.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Taylor, R |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | case studies; communication; culture; interview; knowledge management; life cycle; network analysis; social network analysis; systematic literature review; thematic analysis |
| Index terms: | thematic analysis, mixed method, social network, communication network, case study, communication performance, digital technology, network analysis, life cycle, systematic literature review, knowledge management, strategy, social network analysis, interview |
| Subjects: | management, data collection methods, sociology, computing systems, research evaluation and metrics, communication studies, professional development, research methods, data analysis and analytics, value management, methods and analysis, networking |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Project Management, Research Practice, Information Management, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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