Graphical conveyance of knowledge amongst construction SMEs

Egbu, CO; Lee, CCT; Boyd, D; Xiao, H; Chinyo, E

Abstract

Much of construction work is project-based, short-term and task-oriented; promoting a
culture of continuous learning is inhibited. Very often, specialist and technical knowledge
is not shared laterally, neither between fellow site personnel nor organisations. This is
especially so for tacit knowledge, which site managers gain and use in solving their
complex day-to-day problems. A research on knowledge management amongst
construction SMEs is discussed. This study uses storytelling as a mechanism for
unravelling the tacit knowledge of experienced site managers. As stories are told, wider
learning is extracted through reflection and debriefing. The intention is to share this
learning, first within the participating SMEs and subsequently to the construction
industry at large. The research is at the same time exploring different ways in which any
knowledge obtained can be shared or transferred. In this regard, this paper concentrates
on representing stories or their lessons graphically. The paper reports two cases where
two separate lessons from two different site managers were obtained by means of artistic
impressions. Through subsequent feedback sessions with these site managers, the
researchers were able to establish that the graphics had captured the hitherto tacit
knowledge of these site managers. As well as capturing knowledge, the site managers
opined that the graphics could be used to transfer information to others.

Citation

Egbu, C., Lee, C., Boyd, D., Xiao, H., & Chinyo, E. Graphical conveyance of knowledge amongst construction SMEs. Presented at CIB W102, Information and Knowledge Management in Global Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Construction Organisations, Lisoa, Portugal

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: CIB W102, Information and Knowledge Management in Global Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Construction Organisations
• Conference Location: Lisoa, Portugal
• End Date: May 20, 2005
• Deposit Date: Jan 25, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 25, 2010
• Keywords: Communication, Graphics, Information, Knowledge Management,; Storytelling, Visualisation
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference