Translating customer needs into project decisions: identifying knowledge brokers in project networks
Development and Learning in Organizations
ISSN: 1477-7282
Article publication date: 9 August 2018
Issue publication date: 25 October 2018
Abstract
Purpose
It is essential for projects to fulfil a wide spectrum of customer expectations including social, psychological, technological, and physical ones. The purpose of this paper is to identify roles within project networks that act as transmitters and linkers of this important knowledge, thereby resulting in appropriate and timely on-ground decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative case analysis coupled with social network analysis (SNA) is used to map project actors and identify key knowledge brokers within a complex co-location project. The project network comprised 91 actors from a range of project partners from public and private sectors.
Findings
The research identifies key knowledge brokers where selection appears to reflect their “heavyweight” stature, high social capital, technical expertise, and personality. The research recommends early identification of brokers from within and outside the parent organization/s.
Research limitations/implications
The research covers a single, inductive, and interpretive study of a co-location project involving mature project organizations. Wider generalizability of findings to less mature organizations or those operating in vastly different sectors may be limited.
Practical implications
This study contributes to the existing body of literature on knowledge brokerage in projects and assists project managers in identifying and developing relevant brokers.
Originality/value
The study provides further evidence behind the argument that customer needs are translated into appropriate project decisions through key knowledge brokers.
Keywords
Citation
Waheed, Z. (2018), "Translating customer needs into project decisions: identifying knowledge brokers in project networks", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 8-10. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-03-2018-0034
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited