Digital library of construction informatics and information technology in civil engineering and construction
Digital library
Paper: w78-2000-155
| Paper title: | Knowledge management strategy for construction: key I.T. and contextual issues |
| Authors: | Carrillo P M, Anumba C J, Kamara J M |
| Summary: | "Most business organisations often cite the staff as their greatest asset but have no appropriate mechanisms for managing the knowledge or intellectual capital that is embodied in these staff. The importance of Knowledge Management is now being realised and businesses are starting to formulate strategies and to invest in systems that will enable them to manage their corporate knowledge. This is a relatively new concept for construction organisations, which have a fundamental need to manage knowledge as they move from one project to another, working with different partners and supply chains. The aim of this paper is to explore the information technology (IT) and contextual issues involved in formulating an appropriate knowledge management strategy for construction organisations. It begins with basic definitions of knowledge and knowledge management, and then emphasises the importance of knowledge management in a construction setting. Drawing upon a number of research projects at Loughborough University, the paper discusses the contextual aspects of knowledge management. These include such issues as what types of knowledge should be managed, when and how; the business benefits that result from improving cross-project and inter-organisational knowledge management; the common groupings of knowledge classes, their appropriate transfer mechanisms and the implications for their management; the implications for an organisation’s policy, structure and working practices raised by managing knowledge across projects and enterprises; and how to develop an effective strategy for managing knowledge as an asset whilst enhancing the intellectual capital of an organisation within the constraints set by the business context for that organisation. Other issues relate to the relationship between knowledge management and improved business performance, and the cultural barriers to knowledge management. The paper also examines the role of information technology (IT) as an enabler for knowledge management, and reviews the some of the main IT systems that are being marketed as knowledge management tools. The concluding section of the paper formulates guidelines that will enable construction organisations to more appropriately develop IT and knowledge management strategies that will enable them to improve their business performance." |
| Type: | |
| Year of publication: | 2000 |
| Series: | w78:2000 |
| ISSN: | 2706-6568 |
| Download paper: | /pdfs/w78-2000-155.content.pdf |
| Citation: | Carrillo P M, Anumba C J, Kamara J M (2000). Knowledge management strategy for construction: key I.T. and contextual issues. Construction Information Technology 2000. Taking the construction industry into the 21st century.; ISBN 9979-9174-3-1; Reykjavik, Iceland, June 28 - 30, 2000 (ISSN: 2706-6568), http://itc.scix.net/paper/w78-2000-155 |
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