How to effectively manage knowledge in the construction industry
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is twofold: to understand if it is possible to find similarities and dissimilarities among the construction companies in terms of knowledge management (KM) process, identifying the main tools and techniques adopted by the same companies within this process; second, to emphasize and study more in depth the best KM techniques that emerged from the cases in the context of the Italian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of available studies on KM within the industry investigated, multiple case studies were developed to reach the aforementioned objective, involving 14 Italian construction companies.
Findings
The outcomes obtained from the case studies allow drawing some conclusions on the KM process adopted by the companies investigated, as well as on the type of tools and techniques adopted by the same companies in the KM process.
Research limitations/implications
The case study is based on 14 single cases and, therefore, we must keep in mind that there may be significant differences between industries, companies, departments and individuals regarding how management tools and technological systems are used in practice.
Originality/value
Very few papers are available on the KM process within the Italian construction landscape. This study is expected to encourage future studies in this field.
Keywords
Citation
Bigliardi, B., Galati, F. and Petroni, A. (2014), "How to effectively manage knowledge in the construction industry", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 57-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-10-2013-0055
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited