Ozorhon, B; Dikmen, I and Talat Birgonul, M (2005) Organizational memory formation and its use in construction. Building Research & Information, 33(1), pp. 67-79. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
As knowledge becomes a source of competitive advantage, knowledge-management activities have become critical for success. Construction firms can effectively use their organizational memory to enhance their decision-making abilities. A framework was constructed to model the organizational memory formation process in construction companies. Based on this model, an interview study was conducted to investigate both the organizational memory formation and the role of organizational memory in strategic decision-making within the construction industry. Eight Turkish contractors were assessed. The results suggest that construction companies make use of several knowledge sources and mechanisms to acquire knowledge. Although construction companies are successful at the collection and storage of knowledge, they are weak in the exploitation of organizational memory, especially at the strategic decision-making stage. In addition, they cannot increase their organizational learning competence due to some company- and industry-specific barriers.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | decision-making; information management; knowledge management; organizational learning; organizational memory; strategic management; Turkey |
| Index terms: | organizational memory, decision-making, competence, strategic management, construction industry, knowledge management, organizational learning, interview, competitive advantage, Turkey, construction firm, construction company, exploitation |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, organization, management, Geography, personnel development, professional development, market analysis, decision analysis, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Risk Management, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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