Knowledge Contexts

One of the greatest challenges of any project-based industry is learning between projects. The variety of possible learning situations is outlined here:

However, this is not the only problem. Medium-sized firms operating as cost centres, often in 'the regions', decentralised but operating under a wider company umbrella, can experience knowledge sharing issues in the form, for example, of conflict between central supply chain management functions and local project operations. There is a discrepancy between who knows what.

If we consider the combinations of types of knowledge with their location in the business, there is endless variety: Who knows about a particular component you buy? Who knows about the performance of the component? Who knows the price of it? The lead time? The terms of payment? How reliable the deliveries to site are in terms of timeliness, defects? And so on. Does one person have all this information? Two? Could you purchase or constuct more efficiently if information was shared? Would it be worth paying a bit more if you knew the stuff would turn up on time and you weren't going to get stung for delaying the programme?

What knowledge is embedded in the practices of groups of people? Is there a project where wastage is particularly low? Is there something about the way a certain crane operative and banksman work together that makes them a good team? Is there something about the work of particular scaffolders that improves safety?

The different types of knowledge (skill, awareness, approach, contact, technique) and their location (which person or people) makes knowledge management a difficult task. Different methods of knowledge sharing are more or less appropriate for different knowledge in different situations. Explore this further in the 'Methods' section.