Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Knowledge management (KM) is crucial for successful project completion in the construction industry, where tacit knowledge, embedded in individuals’ experiences, plays a critical role. However, capturing and transferring this knowledge across projects is challenging due to the temporary nature of construction teams and the reluctance of individuals to share their expertise. Traditional KM methods, such as interviews and videos, often fail to capture tacit knowledge due to various barriers, including organisational culture, limitations of technology, and individual factors like knowledge hoarding. This study investigates a novel approach to overcome these barriers and effectively capture tacit knowledge in construction. This study proposes a storytelling-based approach for capturing tacit knowledge within a Knowledge Management System (KMS). Participants contributed their knowledge directly through stories within the KMS, unlike previous studies that relied on interviews or videos. This method aims to address the reluctance to share tacit knowledge by empowering individuals to share their experiences in a comfortable and engaging format. The study’s validation methodology incorporates two elements: (1) extensive research was conducted on KM, storytelling, and existing methods for capturing tacit knowledge, and (2) issues concerning tacit knowledge capture were identified based on the research. This study contributes to the field of KM in construction by: (a) proposing a novel storytelling-based approach for capturing tacit knowledge, (b) addressing the limitations of traditional KM methods in construction, and (c) offering a framework for implementing storytelling-based KM within KMS. The proposed storytelling approach has the potential to overcome existing barriers and contribute to the effective capture and utilisation of tacit knowledge in construction projects. This can lead to improved project performance, reduced rework, and knowledge transfer across projects within the industry. Keywords: Tacit Knowledge, Knowledge Management
Author: Patrick S.W. Fong
Institution: Griffith University
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4413445598