Charles Egbu & Chimay J. Anumba 
Knowledge Management in Construction [PDF ebook] 

A key problem facing the construction industry is that all work is
done by transient project teams, and in the past there has been no
structured approach to learning from projects once they are
completed. Now, though, the industry is adapting concepts of
knowledge management to improve the situation.

This book brings together 13 contributors from research and
industry to show how managing construction knowledge can bring real
benefits to organisations and projects. It covers a wide range of
issues, from basic definitions and fundamental concepts, to the
role of information technology, and engendering a knowledge sharing
culture. Practical examples from construction and other industry
sectors are used throughout to illustrate the various dimensions of
knowledge management. The challenges of implementing knowledge
management are outlined and the ensuing benefits highlighted.

Table des matières

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION.

Chapter 2 NATURE AND DIMENSIONS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Why knowledge management now? The Drivers;
2.3 Nature of knowledge; 2.4 Extra organisational knowledge and
absorptive capacity; 2.5 Key knowledge processes; 2.6
Conclusions.

Chapter 3 CONSTRUCTION AS A KNOWLEDGE-BASED INDUSTRY.

3.1 Introduction; 3.2 Construction industry and knowledge
intensive products and services; 3.3 Knowledge production in
Construction; 3.4 Communicating and sharing knowledge; 3.5 Creating
and sustaining a knowledge culture; 3.6 Conclusions.

Chapter 4 THE BUSINESS CASE FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

4.1 Introduction; 4.2 What does Knowledge Management mean to
Construction?; 4.3 What Knowledge Management strategy should be
adopted?; 4.4 Delivering Knowledge Management in practice; 4.5 A
business case for Knowledge Management; 4.6 The Future.

Chapter 5 ORGANISATIONAL READINESS FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Importance of knowledge lifecycle
management (KLM); 5.3 Preparing the organisational context for KLM;
5.4 Conclusions.

Chapter 6 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

6.1 Introduction; 6.2 Knowledge management tools; 6.3 Selecting
Knowledge management tools; 6.4 The Se LEKT approach; 6.5
Conclusions.

Chapter 7 CROSS-PROJECT KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

7.1 Introduction; 7.2 Nature of projects; 7.3 Construction
projects; 7.4 Cross project knowledge transfer; 7.5 Live capture
and re-use of project knowledge; 7.6 Conclusions.

Chapter 8 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AS A DRIVER FOR INNOVATION.

8.1 Introduction; 8.2 Knowledge management and innovations –
building and maintaining capabilities; 8.3 Knowledge management and
improved innovations: Issues of strategy, process, structure,
culture and technology; 8.4 Managing knowledge for exploitations:
Implications for managers; 8.5 Conclusions.

Chapter 9 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

9.1 Introduction; 9.2 Why measure the performance of knowledge
management and knowledge assets; 9.3 Types of performance measures;
9.4 Measurement approaches; 9.5 Application tools; 9.6
Conclusions.

Chapter 10 KM STATEGY DEVELOPMENT: A CLEVER APPROACH.

10.1 Introduction; 10.2 The CLEVER project; 10.3 The Clever
Framework; 10.4 Utilisation and Evaluation of the Framework; 10.5
Conclusions;.

Chapter 11 CORPORATE MEMORY.

11.1 Introduction; 11.2 Research Methodology; 11.3 Related
Research; 11.4 Tacit knowledge, capture, sharing and reuse; 11.5
Tacit and explicit knowledge capture, sharing and reuse; 11.6
Conclusions.

Chapter 12 BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE SHARING CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT TEAMS.

12.1 Introduction; 12.2 Case study; 12.3 Discussion; 12.4
Conclusions.

Chapter 13 CONCLUDING NOTES.

13.1 Introduction; 13.2 Summary; 13.3 Benefits of knowledge
management to construction organisations; 13.4 Issues in knowledge
management implementation; Future directions

A propos de l’auteur

Chimay Anumba is Professor of Construction Engineering and Informatics, and Founding Director of the Centre for Innovative Construction Engineering, at Loughborough University.

Charles Egbu is Professor of Construction and Project Management at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Patricia Carrillo is Senior Lecturer in Construction Management in the Department of Civil & Building Engineering, Loughborough University.