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Empirical study of interactions between knowledge management activities

Le Chen (Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia)
Sherif Mohamed (Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 8 May 2007

1292

Abstract

Purpose

Recent knowledge management (KM) literature suggests that KM activities are not independent of each other, rather they interact with each other to form a process which receives input from both external and internal business environments, and then produces new knowledge for future utilisation. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationships between KM activities within the construction business context in order to identify and map the pattern of their interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of contracting organisations operating in Hong Kong to elicit opinions of construction professionals on the intensity of KM activities currently being executed by their organisations in order to facilitate knowledge capture, sharing and utilisation. More than 150 respondents from 99 organisations responded to the survey. Additionally, a total of 15 semi‐structured interviews were undertaken to provide a unique perspective on many of the challenges facing local construction organisations when dealing with KM activities.

Findings

Knowledge acquisition and utilisation play paramount roles in the development of the organisational knowledge asset. The higher the intensity of these two activities, the larger the organisational knowledge pool which, in turn, demands greater knowledge dissemination capacity. This dissemination capacity enables more active and intense responses to market changes and clients' needs, thus facilitating and stimulating acquisition and utilisation of new tacit knowledge, thus improving organisational business performance.

Originality/value

Interactions between KM activities were empirically investigated, from a strategic perspective, in the construction business context.

Keywords

Citation

Chen, L. and Mohamed, S. (2007), "Empirical study of interactions between knowledge management activities", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 242-260. https://doi.org/10.1108/09699980710744890

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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