Leblanc, H and Thomson, C (2012) Paradigm interplay to develop a sustainability related knowledge management strategy. In: Smith, S D (ed.) Proceedings of 28th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2012, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
In the construction industry two approaches to Knowledge Management (KM) can be distinguished. First, a functionalist perspective encourages the development of KM strategies and systems aiming to capture, reuse and manage technical knowledge usually with the help of databases and computerized systems. Second, an interpretivist perspective where knowledge is viewed as not existing independently from human interactions with a focus on the development of social structures and processes within organizations. This paper presents the methodological approach to develop a Sustainability-Related KM Strategy (SKMS) for Housing Association (HA) planned works (cyclical replacement of housing components). In this research the authors acknowledge the managerial benefits for construction practice of the functionalist approach but also argue that the socially constructed nature of knowledge requires the interpretivist approach to be considered within the development of the research methodology. As a result, the authors advocate the use of an interpretivist research paradigm with a functionalist perspective to knowledge and explore this through the context of this research, with the benefits and challenges to paradigm interplay considered.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | research methodology; knowledge management; interpretivism; functionalism; paradigm interplay |
| Index terms: | paradigm, research methodology, construction industry, social structure, interaction, housing association, replacement, computerized system, housing, knowledge management, interpretivism, strategy, database |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, behavioral psychology, data management, social theory, professional development, management, theoretical framing, education and knowledge transfer, institutional client, materials science, computing systems, construction type, research design and methodology |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Construction Technology, Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| 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