Building on Knowledge

This guide shows design practices and other constructionprofessionals how to manage knowledge successfully. It explains howto develop and implement a knowledge management strategy, and howto avoid the pitfalls, focusing on the techniques of learning andknowledge sharing that are most relevant in professional practice.Expensive IT-based 'solutions' bought off-the-shelfrarely succeed in a practice context, so the emphasis here is onpeople-centred techniques, which recognise and meet real businessknowledge needs and fit in with the organisational culture. Knowledge is supplanting physical assets as the dominant basisof capital value and an understanding of how knowledge is acquired,shared and used is increasingly crucial in organisational success.Most business leaders recognise this, but few have yet succeeded inmaking it the pervasive influence on management practice that itneeds to become; that has turned out to be harder than itlooks. Construction professionals are among those who have furthest togo, and most to gain. Design is a knowledge-based activity, andproject managers, contractors and clients, as well as architectsand engineers, have always learned from experience and shared theirknowledge with immediate colleagues. But the intuitive processesthey have traditionally used break down alarmingly quickly asorganisations grow; even simply dividing the office over two floorscan noticeably reduce communication. At the same time, increasinglysophisticated construction technology and more demanding marketsare making effective management of knowledge ever more important.Other knowledge-intensive industries (such as managementconsultancy, pharmaceuticals, and IT), are well ahead in adopting amore systematic approach to learning and sharing knowledge, andseeing the benefits in improved technical capacity, efficiency,customer satisfaction and reduced risk.