Knowledge sharing in Chinese construction project teams and its affecting factors

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore knowledge sharing in a Chinese context and to examine the impact of some key contextual factors that affect knowledge sharing within project teams in the Chinese construction sector.Design/methodology/approachSelf‐administered questionnaires were used in this study. Data were collected by surveying 222 managerial employees from different project teams in the construction sector in China. Regression analysis was then used to explore the relationship between different factors and the willingness to share knowledge. The potential influence of Chinese traditional cultures on this relationship was also explored.FindingsThis paper shows that within the Chinese context, explicit knowledge promotes knowledge sharing while tacit knowledge creates barriers to knowledge sharing in project teams. Moreover, trust is positively related to knowledge sharing but justice, leadership style, and empowerment do not influence whether employees will share knowledge among themselves in project teams.Originality/valueWhile it is well known that knowledge management is critical to success, few studies have examined knowledge management in a Chinese context and little is known how the Chinese generate, codify, and transfer knowledge. This paper tries to bridge this gap by examining what affects knowledge sharing in project teams in China so as to help better understand knowledge management in this important emerging market and whether China can sustain its success in economic growth with effective knowledge management.

The Effect of Intellectual Capital on Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing

“…In addition, [95] stated that the success of organizations is highly dependent on knowledge and knowledge management. As a result, based on the previous literature the importance of knowledge for organizations can be highly noted.…”

“…Knowledge sharing can also be defined as the activities that lead to the transfer and dissemination of knowledge between individuals, groups, or organizations [103]. Knowledge sharing takes place between two individuals one that possesses knowledge and the other acquires knowledge [95]. This process includes the sharing of information, ideas, suggestions, and experiences related to an organization [104].…”

Using alternative scales to measure knowledge sharing behavior: Are there any differences?

“…Employee behavior in relation to KSB has implications for the organization (Xue, Bradley, & Liang, 2011). The individual who does not share their knowledge within the organization may represent a loss for that organization, especially if they move to a competitor or even retire, since knowledge is created by the individual (Ma, Qi, & Wang, 2008).…”

“…Among the benefits of KS behavior are: improved customer service quality; new product development (McAdam, O'Hare, & Moffett, 2008); reduced production cycles (Ma et al, 2008;Xue et al, 2011); and innovation (IN) (Liao, Fei, & Chen, 2007;Lin, 2007). The sharing of both tacit and explicit knowledge contributes in varying degrees to increase the IN capacity of companies (Sáenz, Aramburu, & Blanco, 2012).…”

Knowledge Management Research in the Construction Industry: a Review

“…Some other topics also received attention, for example, knowledge-based process (El-Gohary and El-Diraby 2010; Fong and Choi 2009), information technologies (ITs) for KM (Bigliardi et al 2010), and influential factor analysis (Ma et al 2008;Teerajetgul et al 2009). …”